One Hundred Beats
by Griselda Banks
Summary: OoT. With every beat of her wings, with every beat of his heart, their destinies are twined ever tighter. Because every guide needs someone to follow, and even the Hero of Time needs help sometimes. Not a romance fic.
1. Introduction

**Author's Note (which is long-winded, but bear with me): Writing my two FMA 100 Themes fics ( _A Hundred Ways to Say You're My Brother_ and _Till I'm a Hundred, You Idiot_ ) has been some of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had in my fanfiction writing career. After finishing the second one, I thought that was it. My purpose in writing them was to celebrate and bring to attention some of the underappreciated non-romantic relationships of the story, and there aren't any others in the FMA fandom that inspire me enough to write a whole hundred stories about them (and believe me, it takes a **_**lot**_ **of inspiration to make it through to the end!). Then I casually asked myself if there were any other relationships like that in other fandoms that inspire me enough for another 100 Themes. I was expecting the answer to be "no," but to my surprise, I very quickly thought of Link and Navi.**

 **I continue to be astonished at the sheer vitriol and** _ **spite**_ **most of the Zelda fandom expels on Navi. I for one never found her that annoying, and even when her hints and suggestions are completely unnecessary and unwanted, she's very easy to ignore. At the very least, no one who's played both Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword has** _ **any**_ **excuse for hating on Navi, because Fi is TEN BILLION TIMES WORSE x.x**

 **On a more positive note, I have always loved Navi. I have found her to be the most helpful and intuitive sidekick in any Zelda game I've played, and more than that...I love what she is for Link. Zelda fanfiction will always be a very subjective thing, because except for a few core qualities, Link's personality is largely up to the player to decide. I think a lot of players interpret the Ocarina of Time Link quite differently than I do, which in turn affects the way they interpret Navi. I hope to show you in this fic what I think Link is like, what I think Navi is like, and what a powerful bond I think they have.**

 **This fic will also include a lot of my own headcanons for the world of Ocarina of Time. (For example, this first chapter includes my headcanon that Navi is the only blue fairy in the forest. Close examination of the Kokiri's fairies in the game itself has revealed that they CHANGE COLOR OVER TIME, so I reserve the right to be arbitrary too -_-) This is by far my favorite Zelda game—I don't think any of the others even come** _ **close**_ **to how awesome this one is—so naturally it's the one I default to whenever I think about Zelda. Since Ocarina of Time is the only one Navi appears in, I'll probably stick to it pretty exclusively, though I may dabble in some of the others when appropriate.**

 **And just to be crystal clear, this is** _ **not**_ **a LinkXNavi romance fic. I'll probably bring up some of my headcanons about the nature of fairies in later chapters that will show why such a pairing would be impossible in the first place. I will occasionally dabble with some pairings (just be aware that I ship LinkXZelda), but none will be the primary focus of this fic. We're here to enjoy Link and Navi's friendship. I hope you enjoy the ride :)**

 **Timeline: Child; beginning**

 **Theme 1: Introduction**

Link had always been different from the other Kokiri. It wasn't just that he'd never gotten a guardian fairy—though that was a large part of it. He just wasn't spunky and cheerful and carefree like the others. Even Saria, the only one who would talk to him, would sometimes laugh and say, "You look so _serious!_ It's kind of scary!"

He wanted to believe that everything would change once he got a guardian fairy, that finally he would belong and no one would look at him strangely again. But somewhere deep inside, he was afraid that nothing would ever change. There was something inherently wrong with him, and he would always be alone.

It could be worse, he supposed. Mido was the only one who was ever actually _mean_ to him, and even then Link could run circles around him in terms of creativity. Mido's bullying was easy to avoid as long as Link was willing to keep to himself. Unfortunately, keeping away from Mido's name-calling and tripping and shoving meant isolating himself even more.

The others would fidget awkwardly when he was around, or stare at him, or look at him with varying degrees of concern or scorn. Even Saria got an annoying look of pity on her face sometimes, usually followed by a friendly hand on his shoulder and an encouraging, "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get a guardian fairy _soon._ "

So Link spent his days exploring the Lost Woods, or making slingshots and practicing his aim with Deku Seeds, or following Saria deep into the forest to nibble on berries and nuts and mushrooms they found on the way. And he grew quieter and more withdrawn every day.

He told himself he liked it better that way. Without other people always chattering in his ear, he would lie on his back in a clearing in the forest, close his eyes...and he could almost hear the music Saria was always talking about. He could almost feel the trees groaning, the grass stretching, the bugs and tiny animals skittering through their tunnels underground.

What did he need from other people, anyway? They'd never done anything for him. He was perfectly self-sufficient. If not even a single fairy could be bothered to give him the time of day, then he didn't need a fairy either. It wasn't like Kokiri Forest was _dangerous,_ anyway. Maybe the Deku Babas and Skulltulas would give some of the dumber Kokiri trouble, but not Link. Because he had to rely on his own strength and wits, he wasn't scared of anything in the forest. He could take care of himself.

But sometimes, as Link lay in bed and silence fell over the forest...he cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Navi had always been different from the other fairies. It wasn't just that she was a blue, rare all across Hyrule but especially in the Kokiri Forest. It wasn't even that she'd never been assigned a Kokiri—after all, not every fairy was called to such a great destiny. There were only so many Kokiri at any one time, so most were left to fly free through the forest, free to laugh and play and bring joy to every living thing.

Even though she didn't think of herself as that different from the other fairies, she never quite fit in. "Lighten up, Navi!" they would say, tinkling laughter surrounding her on all sides. "Wow, are _all_ blues like this? Forget about destiny and the world out there! This is the Kokiri Forest! Nothing bad _ever_ happens here! So come on and play with us!"

So she spent a lot of her time talking to the Great Deku Tree. He was so knowledgeable about the world (for a tree that never went anywhere), and he kindly answered every one of her endless questions. He talked about the goddesses, and the history of Hyrule, and how an acorn grew into a tree as enormous as he was. He talked about how the fates of everyone and everything in the world was intertwined in a vast web so complex that even he couldn't understand it all. Only Nayru was wise enough to comprehend all of it.

Sometimes, Navi would fly to the very edge of the forest and stare out at the fields beyond the shadowy safety of the trees. She would stay there for hours, feeling restless, but knowing her place was back with the Kokiri. Often, she felt like there was _something_ she was supposed to be doing, but she'd forgotten what it was. She wondered if that was the thread of destiny pulling tight. She wondered where it would take her.

Other times, she knew she was just being ridiculous, and she laughed and played with her brothers and sisters. She pulled harmless pranks on the silly Kokiri, and raced the birds and insects of the forest. She sped just over the surface of the water, throwing up a spray of diamonds till the air sparkled like the night sky. She sped through the day as though it was running away, and then slept soundly all through the night without the slightest fear or care.

But the restless days always returned. Often, she felt as though the Great Deku Tree knew the answer to her problem and was just refusing to tell her. Maybe he was trying to get her to figure it out for herself. Maybe, as a blue fairy, she ought to.

But she wasn't Nayru. And she didn't know what her destiny was.

* * *

When the day they'd been waiting for finally came, it wasn't anything like what either of them had expected. When she finally located him, Navi only saw a lazy little boy, sleeping the day away, completely oblivious to the great honor of being called to a personal audience with the Greak Deku Tree.

And when Link was rudely woken from a disturbing nightmare of a rider on a black horse chasing him, all he saw was a feisty little fairy hopping all over his chest, yelling a shrill string of, "Hey! Hellooooo! Anybody there? Wake up, sleepyhead! My name is Navi and I'm your guardian fairy and you have to wake up because the Great Deku Tree is asking for you and you're going to be so late and we're both going to get in _sooooo_ much trouble and..."

By the time he was fully awake, he was already half-dressed. Navi flitted around his room, snatching articles of clothing from pegs on the wall and tossing them in his direction, fussing about how late he was going to be. Then, as if they both realized what was happening in the same instant, they froze and looked at each other. Halfway through pulling a boot onto the wrong foot, Link softly said, "You're...my guardian fairy?"

"Yeah," Navi said, just as dazed as he was. "I'm your guardian fairy. I'm your guardian fairy!" Her voice rose as she put her hands on her hips, though Link couldn't see through the bright glow of her body. "And that was some introduction, Link! Hmph, I'll _definitely_ have to teach you some manners! At least be awake when someone's talking to you!"

Link smiled, and Navi's laughter tinkled happily. Neither of them had expected it to happen quite this way, but now they knew they would meet their destinies together.


	2. Love

**Author's Note: Well, this is not exactly what I would have chosen for the second chapter of a fic that is decidedly** _ **not**_ **centered around a romance. But I think it turned out pretty well even so. I actually ship Link and Zelda, but it makes sense to me that Link would have a crush on Malon for a while. He** _ **is**_ **a teenager, and the only Hylian girl his age he has any contact with at this point is Malon. So I took this opportunity to write a good heart-to-heart between Link and Navi. I think that Navi's wisdom extends farther than advice on how to fight monsters.**

 **Timeline: Adult; after Water Temple**

 **Theme 2: Love**

It was a relaxing afternoon. They'd just finished their business in the Water Temple and were making their leisurely way back across Hyrule Field. Link seemed to think they deserved a break, and Navi was inclined to agree. The Water Temple had been the hardest one so far, and she had a feeling things would only get tougher as they continued. Besides, they didn't even know where to find the next temple, so they could afford to visit some friends and stock up on supplies in Kakariko Village.

With Link sitting in the shadow of a tree and Epona grazing nearby, Navi was content to curl up under his hat and doze. She was about to drift off when Link suddenly broke the silence that had fallen ever since they'd left Lon Lon Ranch that morning. "Navi...how do you know if you're in love?"

Navi's eyes popped open. She zipped out and hovered in front of his face, eyeing his vacant expression and stupid little smile with alarm. Following the direction of his gaze, she understood immediately. "You think you're in love with Malon?" she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Just...hypothetically speaking," Link said hastily, though his blush gave him away.

Navi sighed and settled onto his knee, where she could more or less look him in the eye. This was going to be a long conversation, she could already tell. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised—Link _was_ seventeen, after all. Being in an enchanted sleep for seven years had left him a child in an adult's body, and Navi had been relieved that he hadn't seemed any different after he'd woken up other than suddenly speaking with a deep voice and standing a _lot_ taller than before. But it seemed the time had finally come that his mind and heart were catching up to his body.

"You know I'm not exactly the best person to ask about this, right?" Navi said, crossing her legs and trying to get comfortable on his bony knee. Fairies weren't like humans. They were formed from the will and essence of the Great Fairies, who in turn were offshoots of the goddesses' power. So even though fairies had genders, they didn't reproduce like the other living creatures of Hyrule. The Great Deku Tree had spent many long hours trying to explain to Navi how it all worked, and she still wasn't sure she understood why humans _liked_ this whole business so much. Friendship seemed so much less complicated than romance.

"Yeah..." Link muttered, plucking a blade of grass and running it through his fingers, staring at it rather than her. "But you're the _only_ person I can talk to."

She supposed he was right about that. He couldn't exactly ask the object of his affections, and most of the people they knew who cared about him _and_ were smart enough to answer his questions weren't...available right now. Navi briefly wondered what Princess Zelda would say if she were here, but quickly brushed that thought aside. Human women tended to get a bit prickly on the topic of romance for some reason.

"Well..." Navi said awkwardly, trying to figure out how to talk about something she barely understood. "What makes you _think_ you're in love with her?"

His eyes drifted off in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch again and he smiled that stupid smile. "I just...she's so _pretty._ With her red hair...and the way she sings...and when she looks at me and smiles, my insides feel all..." He struggled for words, picking at the blade of grass until he finally decided on, "Hot and squishy."

Refraining from pointing out that his insides were hot and squishy all the time _anyway,_ Navi slowly said, "Okay. So say that means you're in love with her. What do you want to happen if you tell her?"

After considering for a moment, Link said, "I want to touch her hair."

Nearly losing her perch on his knee, Navi spluttered, "You want to _touch_ her _hair?_ "

"Yeah..." Link raised a hand as if he was already doing it. "It's so _red..._ and it looks so soft. I want to run my hands through it...and then..." He fell silent, but his fingers brushed against his lips, and Navi was pretty sure she knew what was running through his mind.

Navi twitched her wings in annoyance. Somehow, despite the Deku Tree's subtle warnings, she'd expected _her_ boy to escape some of this frivolous nonsense. He wasn't just some jug-eared stable boy; he was the _Hero of Time._ He was supposed to be special. Different.

But it turned out he was still human.

"Here's the thing, Link," Navi sighed. "All that stuff is fine...but it's not love."

Finally, he ripped his gaze from the distant hills and focused on her for the first time. "What? It's not?"

Navi shook her head with a gentle tinkle. "Love isn't just about the way you feel. Love is wanting what's best for someone else. It's putting someone before yourself—no matter the cost, and no matter whether they do the same for you. So the question you should be asking yourself is, 'What is best for Malon?'"

Link turned his gaze in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch again, but this time there was no stupid grin or sappy glaze to his eyes. Several long minutes passed in silence as the warm breeze rustled through the leaves overhead. Navi waited, watching Link's pensive expression until he finally leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes.

"What's best for Malon is that I do my duty," he said in a low voice. "The best thing I can do for her is to defeat Ganondorf and bring peace back to Hyrule. And...I shouldn't tell her how I feel. Because I can't stay with her, and it'll just make her sad if I...well, if I die..."

Navi had been hoping that the young Link she had first met would return once he wiped that goopy expression off his face. She realized now that he looked older than ever. He wasn't just a kid running around in the forest anymore. He wasn't an awkward teenager trying to get used to his body and these new feelings. Now he was a man.

Opening his eyes again, Link smiled slightly at Navi. "How is it that you know so much about _everything?_ "

Navi sprang to her feet and put her hands on her hips. "I was born of the Great Fairy of Wisdom, I'll have you know! Intelligence runs in the blood!"

She fluttered up to his cheek and planted a brief kiss there. "Besides," she murmured, tweaking the point of his ear as she zipped back under his hat, " _I_ want what's best for _you,_ too."


	3. Light

**Author's Note: I find the thought of Link being scared quite intriguing. He has the Triforce of Courage, and he faces and defeats so many fearsome foes that it seems nothing can faze him. Especially after he's had a few adventures, he kind of knows the drill and things like a couple Stalfos don't bother him anymore. But I don't think anyone would argue with me that the Bottom of the Well level is THE FREAKIEST THING IN ANY E-RATED GAME EVER. Like, seriously, the Dead Hands?! Thanks, Nintendo, I needed traumatic nightmares when I was ten x.x But seriously, I think that even our favorite hero would lose his nerve a little in there. So I tried to explore this level a little more realistically—because let's face it, it's not very probable that they'd just be able to see super clearly down at the bottom of a well. I also wanted to delve a little into what the Redeads would really be like, because those abominations are probably number three on my list of Scariest Zelda Monsters Ever (number two being Wallmasters and number one being Dead Hands). So...enjoy. Or be traumatized. Either one.**

 **Timeline: Child; Bottom of the Well**

 **Theme 3: Light**

Link wasn't used to being afraid. He'd faced so many ferocious monsters and fought so many horrific battles by this point that not much could even startle him anymore. But now he pressed his back against the cold, damp wall and hugged his arms to himself, shivering with more than the subterranean chill. "Wh-What're we going to do, Navi?" he whispered. "The exit's two levels above us—and that's just the _bottom_ of the ladder!"

They both held their breath as the flame in their lantern guttered and dimmed even further, but it didn't go out. Link looked back up at Navi, whose glow was now brighter than the lantern. "I...I'll have to go," Navi said slowly. "I can fly straight up through that hole in the ceiling, and go fetch some more oil."

"But you won't be able to carry it!"

Navi bobbed in a sorry attempt at her usual feisty retorts. "Haven't you figured out by now that we fairies have levitation magic? It's not just our wings that let us fly, you know." To prove it, she grabbed the handle of the lantern and pulled it upward. The bluish glow that always surrounded her body oozed down the sides of the lantern until it was outlined in blue as well. Unfortunately, the motion snuffed out the flame at last. Soon, the only illumination came from that blue glow.

Somewhere in the heavy darkness around them, something heavy dragged across the ground. Breath catching in his throat, Link pressed himself as hard as he could into the corner. His hands sunk deep into a squishy pile of mud and whatever other refuse was down here, but he didn't care. He thought he was going to scream, but his voice came out in a ragged whisper. "Navi...Navi, please don't leave me..."

The fairy hesitated, clearly torn between the logical course of action and the need to protect her charge from immediate danger. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she said anxiously. "Just keep playing the song until I come back, okay?"

And before he could scream after her that no, it was _not_ okay, she was flying with all her might towards the ceiling. Her glow briefly illuminated the jagged hole he'd fallen through, and then she was gone. Utter darkness fell upon him. He'd thought it was dark before, but now he could _feel_ the shadows pressing in on all sides, keeping him immobile and helpless.

A low moan echoed through the dark chamber, bouncing off stone walls till Link couldn't tell where it had come from. A chill ran down his spine, and everything in his body froze stiff. For one horrifying moment, Link thought he was paralyzed like every time those awful creatures shrieked...he could almost feel those dead, cold arms around his neck... But no. His fingers convulsed around the hilt of his sword, and he drew in a shuddering breath as softly as he could.

Slowly, so as not to make any sound, Link got to his feet, eyes straining to see even though he knew it was no use. But just as he shifted his right leg forward to get into a defensive stance, his heel hit a slick patch of the grime coating the floor, and he lost his balance. He fell smartly on his rear in a squelchy patch of something, the splash echoing far too loudly.

The memory of that scream did no justice to the reality of hearing it again. The grating sound seemed to rip the air apart, darting like an arrow right into his heart, which instantly turned cold as ice. This time, he really _was_ paralyzed, and he was forced to sit there and listen to the eager moans and shuffling footsteps of not one, but _three_ Redeads.

It seemed the only thing that could still move in his entire body was his heart, and it pounded faster and faster as the shambling corpses drew nearer. Slowly, he felt the paralysis wearing off, and he begged his muscles to move, to get to his feet, to raise his sword and protect himself. But just as his muscles unfroze and he was finally able to get his feet under him, a cold hand grasped his right arm. Link yelled and lashed out wildly with his sword, but another clammy hand closed around his wrist, its grip as unyielding as death itself.

Link frantically struggled to free himself, but then he felt bony arms curl almost lovingly around his neck. Throwing all dignity to the wind, he screamed, because he knew what was coming next. The Redeads clinging to his arms also drew closer, caressing his living flesh. Link thrashed as hard as he could, but he was only a child. He stood no chance against their undead strength.

Sharp teeth pierced the side of his neck, his right wrist, and his left bicep. The Redeads moaned as they sucked the life from his veins. These living corpses would never slake their thirst. They would keep drinking until he was a shriveled corpse like them. His sword fell from nerveless fingers to clatter uselessly on the ground.

Tears welled up in his eyes. So this was the pitiful end of the great Hero of Time—dying cold and alone at the bottom of a well. Ganondorf would never be defeated. Evil would spread and cover even the last few bright spots in the world. He would never see Hyrule's beauty again. He would never see the sunrise...nor watch the sun set and the stars light up the night sky...he would never see Navi again...

With the last of his dwindling strength, Link managed to bring his empty left hand up to the chain he wore around his neck. His fingers fumbled on the three gems that hung there, until finally they found the red one, and twisted it just so. Fire blazed around him in an expanding dome, ripping the Redeads off and throwing them against the walls of the chamber that were briefly illuminated by the wild flames. The Redeads wailed as Din's Fire consumed them—the only thing that could completely destroy them. Soon they were nothing but piles of ash.

But as soon as the fires died out and Link was thrown into darkness again, he heard more shuffling in the darkness. More moans and longing wails on all sides. The rest of the Redeads had heard the commotion and come as fast as their emaciated legs could take them, all of them longing to feed on his blood. Link felt around frantically for his sword, but he couldn't find it. More tears fell from his eyes as he hunted around blindly on the ground. He could tell that his magic reserves were depleted. Din's Fire wouldn't save him a second time.

A cold hand brushed against his arm, and with a wild yell, Link jerked back. Before any of them could shriek at him again, he ran as fast as he could away from the nearest moans, rushing blindly into the darkness. He almost ran headfirst into a wall, then followed it until it came to a corner. After feeling around for a few minutes, Link realized he must be at the dead end of a hallway. He could hear the shuffling footsteps following him inexorably.

Pressing his back against the wall and squeezing his eyes shut, Link waited for the end. "Din give me strength..." he whispered desperately, repeating a simple prayer he'd heard the villagers say. "Nayru give me wisdom... Farore...give me..."

Then he remembered what his fear-clouded mind had forgotten. With trembling hands, he fumbled his ocarina out of its pouch in his belt. His fingers flew over the holes as he played the shrill notes of the Sun Song, and even though it was the hastiest, sloppiest rendition he'd ever played, he could hear the Redeads shivering to a complete halt.

With an exhausted sigh of relief, Link slid down the wall to sit on the floor, the ocarina still clutched in his hands. For the first time since the lantern had started to dim, he felt the mind-numbing fear begin to ebb away. His wounds were beginning to throb, and now that danger was gone for the moment, he thought he could drift off to sleep right there. But he knew he had only minutes before the magic of the music would wear off and the Redeads would continue their advance.

So Link sat, grimly clutching his ocarina and waiting for his savior.

* * *

"Could you _possibly_ go any _slower?_ " Navi grumbled, watching the large woman carefully pouring oil into the lantern, making sure that she didn't spill a single drop.

"Now, don't rush me, little fairy," the woman said, pursing her lips as she continued to pour at the same maddeningly slow rate. "This oil cost me twenty rupees a pint, I'll have you know. You should just be glad I owe that sweet boy a favor for finding my Bili when he ran away from home."

Fluttering around anxiously over the woman's head, Navi bit her tongue and did her best to remain quiet. No one knew they'd gone down into the well—they'd just scold Link for doing something foolish and blame each other for letting a child wander into such a dangerous place, so Link hadn't bothered to tell anyone. Never mind that Link had never been an ordinary child even _before_ all the time travel. These stupid villagers never seemed to understand exactly how much Link had risked and sacrificed for their sakes.

Sacrifice... Navi went cold all over, and her wings drooped a little. How was Link doing down there? She'd been gone so _long._ This stupid village didn't have a proper potion shop (at least not in _this_ time), so she'd had to go door to door asking favors until she'd finally found someone willing to spare a little oil for the lantern. Link was probably even more cold and frightened than when she'd left him. Maybe he hadn't been able to keep the Redeads back. Maybe he was hurt, or even...

"There," the woman said, breaking into Navi's thoughts. She finally screwed the lid back on her jar of oil. "I'll even light it for you. See? A little patience never did anyone a lick of harm."

Navi grabbed the glass case and slid it into place the minute the woman took her taper away and grabbed the handle, letting her glow extend around the entire lantern, which was much heavier than before.

She was about to speed out the open window when the woman called her back. "Take this," she said, lifting a tightly-sealed jar filled with white liquid from the stone trough in the back of her house, where freezing water from the mountain streams kept her food cold. "This is the last of the milk I got from Lon Lon. You take it to Link and make sure he drinks every last drop, hear? I don't know what's going on, but I daresay Link's got himself into some kind of trouble or other." She gave Navi a knowing look. "Trust me, he's just like my Bili. He'll be halfway to breaking his neck if you're not there to look after him."

For a surprised moment, Navi could only surround the jar of milk with her magic as well. She didn't quite understand it, but all of a sudden she felt a sort of... _connection_ with this woman she barely knew and had little patience for. And that connection was...

"Link!" she gasped, zooming out of the window with the lantern and jar in tow like oddly-shaped fairy companions. As fast as she could without extinguishing the tongue of fire in the lantern, she flew through the village and dropped down into the well.

Almost immediately, shadows threatened to engulf her and the sky became a mere blue spot far above her. Shoving aside all of her nervous thoughts, she plunged into the darkness, desperately trying to remember the route they'd taken. Foul things shifted and scuttled around her, moving away from this sudden source of blinding light, but Navi ignored them. By itself, light wouldn't keep the monsters away, but it seemed that evil things instinctively feared and shunned any source of illumination.

After running into two dead ends and nearly getting caught in a Skulltula web, Navi finally found the jagged hole in the floor. She darted down and scanned the room for any sign of her friend. She wasn't sure if this place looked less scary or not, now that the lamp was bright again. A greenish ooze covered the floor in large puddles, hissing ominously at the occasional drop of water falling into it.

A few breathless moments later, she found the corner where she'd left Link. She stopped dead in her tracks. There were a few charred lumps lying around, and streaks in the grime that looked like the aftermath of a fight...but no Link. His sword and shield lay discarded on the ground. A splotch of something that looked suspiciously like blood marred the Hylian crest on the shield. Slowly, Navi sank towards the ground, her heart turning to stone inside her.

Then she heard it. The few trilling notes of the Sun Song echoed around the dark room, and she felt a shiver of power wash over her in a wave. It was like the sun finally bursting from the clouds on a rainy day, turning all the raindrops to sparkling diamonds. Navi flew as fast as she could in the direction the song had come from, down one of the cramped tunnels leading off from the larger room.

At the end of the tunnel, a crowd of Redeads stood frozen in their tracks. Navi gaped in horror as she passed over their heads; she'd never seen so many in one place, and one was plenty more than she ever wanted to see. And there was Link, his back pressed into the corner of the tunnel, curled up as small as possible. The Redeads were barely two feet from him.

Link was pale and covered in grime. Blood oozed from wounds in his neck and his arms; Navi winced at how much was smeared across his pale skin and green clothes. Link's head rested wearily against the wall behind him, his eyes were closed, and he panted weakly. He clutched his ocarina close to his chest, ready to play the song again.

As the light from the lantern enveloped him, Link's eyes slowly opened. He blinked, and then his eyes widened and a fragile, tentative smile broke through. "Navi...?"

"I'm here, Link." Navi set down her burdens carefully so they wouldn't break, then zipped over to get a closer look at him.

"You're here..." Link repeated softly, cupping his hands around her and holding her against his cheek—the closest he could come to hugging her.

Navi leaned against his cold skin, rubbing her hand across it in what she hoped was a soothing way. "You're okay now," she whispered. "We're going to get out of here."

To her alarm, he choked out a little sob. A stream rolled past her, getting her fingers wet. "Navi...I was so...so scared..."

She slipped between his fingers so she could face him. "You listen to me, now," she said firmly. "We're _going_ to get out of here, understand? I'm pretty sure this is the freakiest place in all of Hyrule, and I don't ever wanna see it again. But we're going to make it out of here. I won't let you do anything else."

Link stared at her for a moment, then sniffed and wiped his eyes, smearing the grime on his face even more. "Okay," he said shakily. "Just...don't tell Sheik?"

"Drink your milk," Navi said, already fluttering away. "I'll go fetch your sword."


	4. Dark

**Author's Note: I think a lot of people would agree with me that one of the most iconic moments in Ocarina of Time is the Dark Link battle. Dark Link has always been a fascinating concept to me, and I really wish they'd do more with it in the series. So much untapped potential! You can rest assured that I'll be exploring some of that potential throughout this fic, because I** _ **love**_ **dark alter egos of the protagonist. For now, I'm just exploring a slightly different take on the battle, something a bit more sinister and even harder than what you have to face in the game. This chapter also introduces some of my headcanon about fairies' healing magic. Also, I totally took inspiration from the Zora Armor of Twilight Princess, because it makes way more sense than just a blue tunic.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Water Temple**

 **Theme 4: Dark**

The minute Link stepped through the door, he knew something was different about this room. Though the door was still there when he glanced behind him, he couldn't see the wall it was attached to. There didn't seem to be any ceiling, either. By all normal definitions, this wasn't even a room. A cold mist obscured his surroundings, so maybe this was just a big room and he couldn't see the walls through the mist, but his footsteps didn't echo like they had in every other room in this temple. His feet slapped on the thin layer of water on the ground, sending ripples in every direction, but the mist seemed to swallow up every sound, making the air feel close and vigilant.

The only thing he could see with any sort of clarity was a single, barren tree directly in front of him. He wasn't sure if it was dead or just dormant for the winter like every other tree in this part of Hyrule. The gentle ripples from his footsteps as he warily approached it lapped up onto the grey sand about its roots. Gripping his sword tightly, Link circled the tree, peering into every knot and crevice of its wrinkled bark. He'd been through enough temples and dungeons by now that he knew even seemingly innocuous, inanimate objects could leap to attack him at any moment. Sometimes he still woke with a start from dreams of the Armoses in Dodongo's Cavern crowding around him and spinning madly.

But after circling all the way around the tree and even poking it cautiously with his sword, nothing happened. Link resolutely turned his back on it and walked several paces away, then whipped around with his sword at the ready, but still nothing sprang into life and attacked him. With a shrug, Link continued to walk in the opposite direction from the door he'd come through. They were bound to run into a wall _sometime,_ right?

After a few minutes of walking, he felt his skin prickle, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. Above the sound of his own footsteps, he thought he heard another set of footsteps behind him. He whirled around, but there was nothing there. He paused, looking around warily, but nothing stirred other than Navi fluttering around his head. She would have warned him if anything was following him anyway. He was getting too paranoid. Spending too much time in temples. Next thing he knew he'd be trying to attack his own shadow.

Trying to shake off the feeling that someone was watching him, Link kept marching forward. He strained his eyes, trying to see _something_ through all this mist, but the only thing that met his gaze was more of this blank grey expanse. Gradually, he realized the mist was actually getting _thicker,_ beginning to obscure even the tip of his sword that he held protectively in front of him. But did that mean he was getting closer to the solution to this room, or was he just heading towards a bottomless pit?

Navi bobbed in front of him. "I think I see the door!" she said. He could just see her tiny glowing arm pointing in front of him.

Link squinted, but the mist still obscured his vision completely. "Where?"

"It's this way!"

He furrowed his brow, looking closer at Navi. Something in her voice was...off. It was like...she had a cold or something. But fairies didn't get sick...

Then, from what seemed a great distance behind him, he heard a shrill voice cry, "Watch out!"

After all this time, heeding her warnings was as natural to him as breathing. Before he'd even stopped to wonder what was going on or where the danger was, he was spinning away, bringing up his shield. A blade sliced across his side, drawing a deep gash along his ribs, but it missed his heart.

As he whirled to face his attacker, he caught sight of Navi. The blue fairy suddenly turned black and disappeared in a puff of smoke. That...wasn't Navi.

But he had to push that mystery aside, because he found himself face-to-face with...himself. It was like looking in a dim mirror. The man before him had his face, his tunic, his hat, even his sword and shield...but everything was pitch black. All of his clothes were black, his hair was the color of ashes, and his blade was as dark and shiny as if it was a shard of obsidian. The only spots of color were his eyes, which glowed an eerie red.

Link held up his shield and warily circled around this strange being, who mirrored his actions exactly. "Who are you?" Link demanded.

The other smiled, his lips parting to reveal sharp, shiny teeth. "Who are _you?_ " His voice sounded just like Link's.

"Are you saying...you're me?"

"I am your shadow," the being said, seamlessly matching Link's movements as he switched directions. "I am what you could have been...had you dared. I am all the thoughts in the back of your head you pretend not to think. I am who you really are."

"That makes no sense," Link said flatly, but he couldn't help a shudder run through him at the words of this...dark version of himself.

"Go ahead," Dark Link taunted, still grinning. "Deny me. Pretend you don't hear the truth in every word. But one day...one day soon...you will accept me with open arms."

Link stabbed at him, but Dark Link met his sword perfectly. For a minute or two, they traded blows, meeting each attack perfectly as if they had practiced beforehand. Panting, Link backed away, eyeing his opponent more warily now. He had never met his match with swordplay before—not that he'd had many opportunities to face another swordsman. Most of the monsters he fought were ten times his size or just didn't have the reflexes or skill to match him, like Stalfos.

But this wasn't a Stalfos. Something told him defeating this enemy would take every ounce of strength and resourcefulness he had. Slowly, he sheathed his sword, carefully protecting himself with his shield while he pulled out a dried bomb flower from his pouch. In a quick motion, he bit off the stem and tossed the bomb at Dark Link. But it seemed that his alter ego was expecting this, and simply raised his shield. The bomb bounced off its shiny black surface and exploded on the ground in a spray of water.

He tried everything against this enemy. _Everything._ He even managed to pull out his bow and arrow and shoot at point-blank range, but all he got for his troubles was a slice across his bicep that made his whole right arm ache. Dark Link didn't seem to have any of the same items or gadgets that Link hoarded in the pouches and loops on his magically-enhanced belt, but he could predict every single attack Link attempted.

Link was beginning to tire. Not only was he losing blood, he'd been trudging and swimming through the cold water in this temple for hours before reaching this room. He couldn't fight this being much longer. He, the Hero of Time, was going to lose. And judging by the cruel grin on Dark Link's face, they both knew it.

"Get him, Link!"

He only had a moment to take in the situation. A glass jar zoomed towards them, surrounded by Navi's blue glow. The blue glow came from _within_ the jar, which flew straight at Dark Link's face. It collided with a crash of breaking glass, and Dark Link raised his hands with a cry of surprise and pain. Link took advantage of this momentary opening, and stabbed him in the stomach.

Dark Link staggered backwards, as black blood poured from his wound and fell with a hiss into the water. A hole suddenly appeared in thin air behind him, a portal to complete darkness. Dark Link fell through the portal, which immediately closed behind him, but Link barely spared it a glance.

"Navi!" Slinging his sword and shield back over his shoulder, Link dropped to his knees by the broken shards of the glass jar. Half-floating in the shallow water, limp and still, was Navi. Her glow was flickering and dimming, and Link saw to his horror that a silvery-blue liquid clouded the water around her.

Gingerly, he cupped his hands around her and lifted her from the water. "Navi?" The water trickled through his fingers, which were soon covered with her bluish blood. Her wings twitched in response to his voice, accompanied by the faintest _tinkle_ of acknowledgement.

Trying to move as quickly and gently as he could, Link yanked his hat off his head and wrapped it around her tiny body. When she was safely cocooned in the cloth, he carefully tucked her in the inside pocket of his tunic, close to his chest. "Just hang on," he whispered.

With a twist of the green gem hanging from his neck, the world spun around him in a sickening blur. When everything finally settled down around him, he stood right above the submerged entrance to the temple. Pulling the breathing cloth up over his mouth and nose, Link dove into the icy cold water and swam as fast as he could out of the temple. Once outside, he kicked as hard as he could against the bottom of the lake and swam upwards. Never before had the lake seemed so deep, not even when he'd first dived down to enter the temple. The blue tunic the Zora had given him had been woven with a spell to keep him warm, and the breathing cloth meant he had no trouble breathing underwater, so he had actually enjoyed swimming in this lake until now.

But now he carried his dying best friend.

Finally, Link's head broke the surface. He yanked the breathing cloth down and pulled out his ocarina. The frigid air stung his wet cheeks, making his teeth chatter so he could barely get the notes out. But after two tries, he managed to get through the Minuet of Woods and the world faded around him.

By the time the swirl of leaves and warm forest air settled on the dais in front of the Forest Temple, Link was already sprinting down the hill. He paid no attention to the sudden change in temperature and ignored all the soothingly familiar scents of the forest around him. Thankfully, all of the evil monsters had fled since Saria rose to her position as the Sage of the Forest, so nothing impeded him as he tore through the underbrush and impatiently batted tree branches aside.

After what felt like far too much time, he found the ring of trees surrounding a small pool of water like stone columns circling an ancient monument. A cluster of red fairies flitted around the spring, dancing happily through the air as the dappled sunlight sparkled on the clear water. As soon as Link crashed into the clearing, however, they turned towards him with a chorus of _tinkle_ s like someone dropping tiny glasses in surprise.

The fairies clustered around him, their wings batting against his skin as they examined his cuts and bruises. Their small voices tsked and tutted as they all cried things like, "Oh, you're hurt!" and, "Let me heal that for you!"

"Wait!" Link gasped, before they could expend any of their magic. "Forget me—please, you have to help her." He pulled out the bundle of cloth that was Navi, unwrapping it with trembling fingers as he tried to catch his breath. A dozen little gasps and sympathetic murmurs fluttered around him as he pulled back the last fold of his hat and revealed Navi's tiny, broken form. To his alarm, her glow was so faint he could actually see the outline of her whole body, rather than the usual ball of blue light that accompanied him everywhere.

"Bring her to the water," one of the fairies piped up. "Every fairy is born from a fountain. We draw our strength from the water in these magical places."

Link did as he was told, gently lowering Navi into the fountain. She floated in the water, her tiny face bobbing above the gentle ripples that disturbed the surface of the pool. With nothing better to do than grip his hat and wait anxiously, Link knelt at the water's side and watched. The red fairies began to spin around Navi, weaving around each other in a complex dance that rose to the heavens and then dipped back down to the water with a splash that sprinkled droplets of liquid diamond onto Navi's face.

Glowing red particles rained down from the spinning fairies, but when they touched Navi they turned blue, adding to her glow. Soon Navi's light was almost as strong as usual, and her wings swished weakly in the water. Following the fairies' directions, Link plucked a large leaf from a nearby tree and carefully fished Navi out on it, setting her safely down on a nest of moss between the roots of the tree closest to the water. "Navi?" he whispered.

"She just needs to rest now," the fairies said, now swirling around him. He could feel their miniscule hands brushing against his side and arm, closing the wounds and easing his aches and pains. "Soon she'll recover her strength."

"Thank you," Link said, watching the fairies drift wearily back to the fountain one by one. They had used up so much of their own strength they were beginning to flicker too. Soon they all settled on the grass or the water to rest.

As he let out a deep sigh of relief, Link suddenly realized he was shivering. He was still dripping wet, and even though the forest was warmer than Lake Hylia, he was probably going to catch a cold if he wasn't careful. So, even though he wanted nothing but to fall asleep right away, he dug his green tunic out of his pack and changed, draping his wet clothes over branches to dry in the sun. Once he'd made sure all of his weapons were within easy reach and he'd wrapped himself up in his blanket, Link flopped onto the grass next to Navi.

"Hey," she said, her voice faint and weak. But it was there.

Tucking his pack under his head as a pillow, Link rolled to face her and grinned. "Hey yourself."

"You did great. You...defeated him...easily."

"Not _that_ easily. I couldn't have done it without you. Speaking of which, how'd you end up in that jar?"

"He tricked me." He could hear the petulance in her voice, despite how weak it was. "There was all that fog...and I got turned around...so I thought I was following you...but then he trapped me in a jar."

"Yeah, he tried to trick me, too." Link stretched a finger out to her. Her glow was strong enough now that he couldn't see it, but he could feel her tiny arms wrap around it. "He was trying to get my guard down so he could attack from behind."

"How'd you know which one was real?"

Link grinned. "Are you kidding? You've yelled at me so many times I'd know your voice anywhere."

A sharp pinch made him jerk his hand back. "I do _not!_ " Navi said, almost as indignant as usual. "I just... _inform_ you of what you need to know!"

With a chuckle, Link rolled onto his back and let his weary eyes close. "Goodnight, silly."

"Humph. Goodnight, _stupid._ "


	5. Seeking Solace

**Author's Note: I bawled like a baby the first time I beat Ocarina of Time. Partly just because of the emotional overload of reaching the end of an awesome game that had dominated my life for at least a year up to that point, but mostly because of Navi. I will never forgive them for making Navi just leave with no explanation or goodbye, after an entire game of her loyal companionship. So obviously, I'm going to be doing a lot with the ending. I have several headcanons of the ending, which I'm sure you'll see before too long, but the one I explore here is that Link gets sent to a parallel timeline where the only ones who remember what happened before they turned time back are him, Zelda, and the Sages. Which is really a cruel thing to do to Link, whether it's necessary or not. I remember, after I beat the game for the first time, wishing I could go around and visit all my old friends around the world and see them living happily in a world free of Ganondorf's taint. But then I wondered if they would even remember Link or any of the things he's done. I think that would be the hardest part for Link—looking around at all these people he knows and loves so well, and knowing that they have no relationship with him anymore.**

 **Timeline: Post-game**

 **Theme 5: Seeking solace**

Link sat on the marble steps leading up to the Temple of Time. The sun warmed the stones beneath him, and a fresh breeze rustled the trees surrounding this tranquil place in the middle of Castle Town. Birds chirped cheerfully while strains of music and the happy bustle of business drifted towards him from the marketplace.

Ganondorf was no more. Evil had been erased. But so had the last of Link's happiness.

He sat there, staring at his feet, wondering if he would ever find a reason to move. Maybe he would simply sit here forever, frozen in time. That would be a fitting end for the Hero of Time, wouldn't it? An everlasting human statue before the doors of the temple, a constant warning to those who thought to meddle with things beyond their understanding.

Zelda had tried to cheer him up. She'd assured him he'd done the right thing. It was the only way to save Hyrule. But the princess, for all her wisdom, could never understand. Even in her darkest moments, she'd always had someone by her side—Impa, at the very least, had always been there for her. She didn't know what it was to be alone. To look ahead to the long years stretching ahead of her, and know with a cold, heavy certainty that she always _would_ be alone.

How foolish he'd been to think that he'd been saved from that fate. For those precious few weeks...months...years (but what was time to him?), he had put aside the pain of his early days. But he should have realized it was his destiny to be alone.

It all made sense, of course. Zelda had explained every maddening detail of her sound logic. The only way they could _truly_ prevent Ganondorf's evil from tainting Hyrule, without causing an endless loop in which the same events repeated themselves ceaselessly, was to destroy Ganondorf before he could become powerful. She had insisted on returning to their rightful time once that task was complete, trying to reassure him by saying he could have the childhood he missed.

But what she failed to understand was that he couldn't just go and live with the Kokiri again. Not now that he knew what he was. He didn't belong there anymore...but he didn't belong anywhere else either. The only ones who remembered what had happened before they turned time back on itself were him and the seven Sages.

After replacing the Master Sword, he hadn't been able to leave the quiet sanctuary of the temple. Link knew that if he ventured into the town, he would come face-to-face with his old friends. They were nothing but familiar strangers—he knew everything about them, but they wouldn't recognize him at all.

If he ventured into the marketplace, he would see those two brothers standing in the shade of a tree, laughing in each other's faces and getting no work done. The fat lady in the blue dress would boast to anyone who stood still long enough that her dog was the most beautiful creature in Hyrule. The young lovers would stand by the fountain in the middle of the square like they were in their own world. The orphan would sit in the corner, begging rupees and old junk from passersby. The vendors would yell over each other, trying to gather the most people to their stalls. The royal guards would chase a thief or two down the back alleys.

Maybe Malon and Talon would be there, selling their famous milk and buying feed for their horses. Link pressed the heels of his hands against his closed eyes until stars exploded against his eyelids. Talon's eyes would pass right over him, without the slightest trace of recognition. Malon...maybe she would smile brightly at him, wave a little, remark on his green clothes...but she wouldn't know him.

And she wouldn't call him 'fairy boy.'

Link shot to his feet and started walking as fast as he could without running. He pulled out his wallet and quickly counted the gems inside. 56 rupees would have to be enough for supplies and some kind of short sword. His fingers itched for the familiar weight of the Master Sword, but it needed to remain in its rightful place. Besides, he wouldn't even be able to hold it upright in this small body.

A shame he'd had to get rid of all of his weapons and items (most of which had been some kind of heirloom). He would need protection if he was to go all the way to the forest.

* * *

Link went to the forest seeking solace. He told himself he was being stupid every step of the way, but nothing could stop him. His strength was courage, so even though he feared what he would find there, his steps forward never faltered. But it wasn't just stupidity or bravery that pushed him onward despite every reason to stay away.

He was desperate.

The Kokiri hid from him at first, but once they saw that he was a boy dressed just like them, their curiosity got the better of them. As he walked through the familiar clearing where he'd grown up, he slowly attracted a trailing line of inquisitive fairies and wide-eyed boys and girls waiting to see who he was and what he would do.

The only time he stopped was when he passed his own house. There was no ladder leading up to the hole in the tree's trunk. No curtains waved in the warm breeze. The space near the roots where he and Saria had carved pictures was blank. No one lived there. There wasn't even a path leading up to the tree.

Turning to continue on his way, Link realized that the Kokiri were shrinking away from him, watching him warily as though waiting for him to sprout fangs and leap at them. Then he remembered the long knife strapped to his back—a poor replacement for his trusty sword, but more deadly than anything these innocent children had ever seen. He smiled at them, hoping they would understand that he was friendly, but the sight of their familiar, nervous faces and their fairies bobbing overhead were just too painful. He turned away again.

Of course, he should have known that one Kokiri would be bold and brash enough to face him. It made sense that his fairy was green. His feet firmly planted on the path leading to the Great Deku Tree, Mido drew himself up to his full height and glared at the intruder. "Look, kid," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm the boss here, so you have to listen to what _I_ say. And _I_ say, turn around and go back the way you came from. You're not supposed to be here, and there's no _way_ I'm gonna let you hurt the Great Deku Tree."

Link couldn't suppress a slight smirk. How had Mido ever given him any trouble? At the same time, he felt an unexpected twinge as Mido glared at him with none of the built-up resentment he was used to. This Mido didn't know him, didn't hate him. He was just as wary and curious as the others, though he was trying not to show it.

"So you're the great Mido of the Kokiri, huh?" The smirk turned into a genuine smile. "I've heard about you."

Mido's jaw dropped. "You _have?_ Uh, I mean, of _course_ you have!" His chest puffed out proudly as he adjusted his green cap.

"You've got a lot of responsibility, leading the Kokiri," Link said, knowing exactly what Mido wanted to hear most. "I can see why the Great Deku Tree would have chosen you to be their guardian."

Mido's eyes popped, and he forgot to look like he already knew what Link was talking about. "Wait, did he _say_ that? The guardian of the Kokiri?"

"Of course. Being a leader means being a guardian. You want to protect them from harm, don't you?"

Mido's beady eyes flicked around at the crowd of Kokiri gathered around them, listening with great interest. "Uh...yeah. Yeah, of course I do!"

Link unbuckled the strap across his chest. "Then you'll need this."

When Link pulled the long knife out of its sheath, all of the Kokiri gasped and took an involuntary step back. Mido jumped, but he didn't back away. His fairy fluttered closer to inspect the sharp edge of the blade.

Sliding the knife back into the sheath, Link held it out to Mido. "Take it. Use it to protect everything good and green in this forest."

Awestruck and speechless, Mido took the blade reverently from him. Link began to walk past him, but finally Mido found his voice again and whirled to face him. "Wait! Who...Who _are_ you?"

Link smiled at the boy who had once been his rival. He hadn't understood it growing up, but now he could see that all Mido had ever wanted was to be respected. To be given attention and responsibility so he could prove himself. The eyes that had glittered with such envy when Link had appeared with a sword and shield now shone with admiration and gratitude. Maybe this time, they could actually be friends.

"My name is Link."

* * *

Standing in the middle of the glade, staring up into the rustling boughs of the Great Deku Tree, Link could almost believe he was back where all of this had started, before he'd known about Ganondorf or the Triforce or his destiny.

"Thou art not of this forest, young child." The voice rumbled through the ground, sprouted into the air, and blew towards him like a warm breeze.

It had been so long since he'd heard the Great Deku Tree in his prime that for a moment, Link couldn't find the breath to speak. Finally, he said, "I am a Hylian. I've come seeking your help...if you will."

"Ahh," the Great Deku Tree breathed, every leaf rustling. "Saria has told me of thy coming. What is thy request?"

Link's heart ached at the mention of his old friend, but there would be time to visit her in the future. "I would like to talk to Navi the fairy."

"Hmm." The Tree's roots groaned, as though questing out into the soil to understand Link's purpose in coming here. "I shall grant thy request."

And in only moments, a little blue fairy flew into the clearing on tinkling wings. "Here I am, Great Deku Tree!" she said in her cheerful little voice.

"Navi!" The sight of her, flying along so vibrant and _alive,_ cut through the last shreds of his numbness and grief, and he slumped to his knees. He couldn't take his eyes off her, and he blinked furiously as tears began to cloud his vision.

"Oh no, he's crying!" Navi fluttered closer, bobbing curiously around him. "It'll be okay, little boy, don't worry!"

Link couldn't decide if his heart would break from happiness or sadness first. He had told himself that seeing her again would make up for her not knowing who he was, but now...he wasn't so sure. She was the same as ever, but she remembered nothing of their friendship. Had it been worth this heartache just to see her one more time?

But no, he was being stupid. Of course it was worth it.

Wiping his tears away, Link settled into a more comfortable sitting position. "I would like to tell you a story, if you'll listen. The story of the Hero of Time."

He told them everything, from when he had first met the other Navi and set out on his quest to when he had finally defeated Ganondorf and sealed him in the Dark Realm. The Great Deku Tree listened patiently, as he always listened to what the children of the forest had to say. Link could tell that Navi had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but it seemed she could tell that Link needed to get all of this out without interruption. He'd never been so grateful for her wisdom.

His mouth was dry and his voice was a little hoarse by the time he finished. He glanced up at the Great Deku Tree, then returned his gaze to Navi, who hovered in front of him without saying anything. Even though he'd spent so much time with her that he could usually read her body language as easily as an expression, he couldn't figure out what her reaction to his story was. "So I came here," he said softly, lowering his gaze to his hands as he miserably plucked a few blades of grass. "I just thought...I just wanted to see Navi again."

The little fairy fluttered down and settled on his knee. Her tiny feet tickled the bare skin. "It's funny," she said slowly. "I always felt like my destiny was to go do something important, something different from all the other fairies. Now I know what it was...but now my destiny's already been fulfilled. You'd think I wouldn't feel this...longing."

"Hmmm." The Great Deku Tree drew out a long, thoughtful groan that seemed to stretch from his deep roots underground to the highest branches swaying far above them. "There are some destinies the goddesses have woven into the fabric of Time itself. Thy destiny is such a one, Link. Though it may seem thy work is done, thou shalt always have a hand in the fate of Hyrule. Thus it is with Princess Zelda, and with the Sages, and with myself. And I do believe it is thus with Navi."

She started up into the air with a tinkle so loud it almost sounded like a clanging bell. " _Me?_ " she cried, fluttering around agitatedly. "But...But I haven't done any of that stuff Link just talked about! That was in another...time dimension thingy! There's nothing for me to _do_ this time around!"

"Nay." There was a sunny smile in the Tree's voice. "Some are destined to great deeds, like our Hero of Time. Others are destined to shape the events in the world by their wise counsel, or else by treachery. Still others, my good Navi, are graced with the destiny of companionship."

Navi had calmed down a little, but she was still flying in confused circles. "But how can companionship be a destiny? Everybody has friends; there's nothing special about that!"

"Holding the fate of the world in one's hands is a lonely enterprise," the Great Deku Tree said sadly. "If thou could but look as far back in the annals of Time as I, thou would see a long line of those who held the threads of destiny in their hands, yet knew naught of love. Many evil deeds could have been averted, had there only been one true companion for these individuals."

For the first time, Link wondered if Ganondorf had ever been lonely, growing up as the only Gerudo boy, raised by two completely cracked and evil witches who told him night and day that he deserved to rule the world with a fist of iron. What if he'd known someone like Navi? Would he still have turned out the way he had, if he'd had a friend who never hesitated to help him or call him out when he was being stupid or selfish?

Breaking into his thoughts, Navi fluttered right up to his nose, so that all he could see was her blue glow and her swiftly beating wings. For a long moment, they just looked at each other, then she quietly asked, "Are you lonely?"

A minute ago, he would have said yes. But now he just smiled and said, "Not anymore."

She gently tweaked his nose. "Then I think I've found my destiny."


	6. Break Away

**Author's Note: This chapter was originally going to be a very different scenario—very traumatic, involving Dark Link and possibly torture. But almost as soon as I started actually writing this chapter, I realized that was** _ **not**_ **what needed to happen. I may do something with the ideas I originally had at some point, but for now I just needed to deal with this issue of conflict between Link and Navi. You can take this as my nod to those who** _ **did**_ **find Navi annoying, I guess. I can certainly see them both getting on each other's nerves when they're stressed and fighting for their lives in the middle of a long, grueling temple. In my original plan, this was going to be in Ganon's Tower (hence why Dark Link was showing up again), but I decided the worry over Zelda would be too much of a distraction from this more minor worry. I chose the Shadow Temple because it was the first temple that had Stalfos where it would be believable that they're old hat for Adult Link. (Yes, I overthink everything in this fic too much.)**

 **Timeline: Adult; Shadow Temple**

 **Theme 6: Break Away**

Link was tired, sweaty, and stressed. He'd been running around this infernal temple for hours now, dodging thick Skulltula webs, jumping over bottomless pits, and nearly getting decapitated by falling blades. He was just about done with this whole stupid temple with its creepy shadows and doors pretending to be walls and the need to practically plaster the Lens of Truth to his face at all times.

So the last thing he needed right now was another distraction vying for his attention.

"Watch out!" Navi's shrill voice cried as he barely managed to catch a Stalfos' blade on his shield. "Lure it close to you and watch its movement carefully! Attack it when it drops its guard!"

"I _know_ how to fight Stalfos, Navi!" Link snarled, smashing his shield into the Stalfos circling around behind him and knocking it off the small platform into the endless abyss below.

"There's no need to get _huffy,_ " Navi snapped. "I'm only trying to help, you know."

The one remaining Stalfos swung at him with its jagged blade, then jumped backwards before Link could parry. "Well, maybe I don't _need_ your help!" Link hastily wiped his sweaty forehead on his sleeve and attacked the Stalfos again before it could take advantage of his momentary distraction. "I'm doing fine on my own, just like I _always_ do!"

"Fine then!" Navi screeched. "Go stick your big fat head in a hole and _die_ for all I care!" And she flew away as fast as her wings could carry her.

Link knocked the Stalfos to the ground with a whirl of his sword, then crushed its skull under his heel and kicked the whole thing over the edge for good measure. Sheathing his sword and slinging his shield back over his shoulder, Link took a moment to catch his breath and look around. With Navi gone, the shadows of this dismal temple seemed to press even closer around him, and he could hear the distant _shunk-shunk-shunk_ of the falling blades he'd dodged to get here.

As he drained the last of the milk he'd brought with him, a small twinge of guilt broke through the anger that still simmered in his heart. He shouldn't have gotten so angry at Navi—she was only trying to help him, as usual. But didn't she _know_ he could take care of himself? Hadn't she watched him fight countless hordes of monsters ordinary people wouldn't even encounter in their worst nightmares? Stalfos were a rupee a dozen these days, especially in the gloomy depths of the _Shadow Temple,_ of all places. He didn't need her nagging him every minute of the day.

After a quick glance through the Lens of Truth, Link spotted an invisible stone bridge spanning the abyss and started across it carefully. Normally, Navi would hover in front of him, suspending the Lens of Truth in front of her so she could guide his steps while he kept an eye out for monsters trying to knock him down into the darkness (they'd had one too many close calls in this place already). Without her, Link had to focus the Lens at his feet to make sure he didn't step off the narrow strip of stone.

 _See?_ a voice nagged at the back of his mind. _You aren't giving her enough credit._

"She'll be back," he muttered to himself. "She just has way too short of a temper. It'll start bugging her that I'm making my way through the temple just fine without her, so she'll come crying back to me. I guess I can accept her apology—it's not like I'm a jerk."

He was so busy watching his feet that he didn't notice the huge Skulltula web hanging over the bridge until he walked right into it. Spluttering as his face brushed against the thick, sticky strands, he tried to break through the web without falling off the narrow bridge. But it seemed that the more he struggled, the tighter the web closed around him, until soon he could barely move. His right hand still clutched the Lens of Truth, through which he could see the invisible bridge, but he couldn't move his left hand to reach his sword or even the jewel hanging from his neck that could set off Din's Fire.

"This is your doing, isn't it, Nayru?" he muttered. "This happened because I was unfair to Navi."

Then he felt a shudder of movement in the strands tying him in place. He froze, feeling the web vibrate more and more as something moved closer. Craning his head around as far as the web would allow, he watched an enormous Skulltula creeping towards its trapped prey. The skull-shaped exoskeleton on the huge spider's back leered at him, seeming to grin at his panicked expression.

Though he knew it was useless, Link tried to break away again. Normally, Skulltulas were little more than a nuisance, easily destroyed with a single swipe of his sword. But then, he'd never been caught so tightly in the web of what looked like the biggest and ugliest Skulltula in all of Hyrule.

When the Skulltula reached him, it brushed its long, hairy legs against Link's arm, tasting his skin through a rip in his sleeve. With a shudder, Link tried to jerk away, but could do little more than clench his hand into a fist. The Skulltula seemed to like what it found, because it crawled a little further until it found his neck. Its pincers clicked in anticipation, then it reared back to stab his soft flesh.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Before Link realized what was happening, Navi ducked under his tunic and grabbed the chain around his neck. He felt her tiny fingers turn the red gem, and a blast of fire exploded from him in all directions. The flames instantly turned the Skulltula to ash, and burned away every last strand of the web. Link dropped onto the bridge and nearly fell off, but he quickly crawled to the end of the bridge and collapsed onto his back as soon as he glanced around to make sure there were no more enemies nearby.

Navi hovered in front of his face, her glow shining even through his closed eyelids. He peeked out at her, grimacing when he saw that her hands were on her hips. "I...I'm sorry, Navi. I was...being really stupid."

"Hmph!" Navi turned away in a huff. "Next time, just remember: The almighty Hero of Time needed _my_ help to kill a single Skulltula!"

Heat rose into his cheeks. "Am I at least forgiven?"

She tinkled cheekily at him as she pulled the Lens of Truth from his grip. "Forgiven—but _never_ forgotten."


	7. Heaven

**Author's Note: I have a lot of ideas of what Link would do in between temples. In a game, it makes sense that you'd go from one level to the next with only a brief stop for provisions and maybe a sidequest or two in between. But this poor kid needs a break every now and then, and I love being able to give him one. I kind of drew on the Gorons of Twilight Princess for this one, because Gorons are Gorons no matter which version of Hyrule you find them in.**

 **Timeline: Adult; after Fire Temple**

 **Theme 7: Heaven**

"Ohhhh, this is _heaven._ " Link sank into the pool of steaming water, feeling every muscle in his body relaxing one by one. A bath like this almost made up for the stone bed the Gorons had provided for him.

"Anything else I can do for you, Big Brother?" Borol asked. The large Goron attendant Darunia had assigned to him laid out a fresh red tunic on a stone shelf nearby, as well as a stiff towel Link knew he wouldn't be using, since it was about as soft as sandpaper. "Would you like a famous Goron massage?"

"No!" Link said, a little too hastily. He eyed Borol's rock-like knuckles, which he was cracking one by one. "No...thank you, Borol, but a bath is all I need."

"Okay, then." Borol grinned widely. "Darunia had some human food brought up from Kakariko; I'll go set it out for you." He stumped away into the adjoining room.

With a luxurious sigh, Link slumped down so the hot water came up to his chin and stared up at the rough stone ceiling. When he'd first ventured into Goron City, he hadn't expected it to be very comfortable, since the entire city had been hewn out of the rock of Death Mountain. The Gorons were tough, so everything around them was hard and sharp. Even their food consisted mostly of rocks. But one of the perks of living in the heart of a mountain was that they had no shortage of hot springs.

After dunking and scrubbing his sweaty hair and the sooty streaks of blood and grime from his body, Link relaxed once more against the smooth side of the pool. Potions had healed his wounds, but they could only do so much for the lingering aches that came from clobbering a dragon to death with a hammer he could barely lift with both hands.

"Feeling better?" Navi said, perching on his forehead. She carefully prodded a scabbed-over streak that, mere hours ago, had been a bloody gash splitting his head from temple to jaw.

Link smiled, his eyes closed. "Much."

The little fairy fluttered around him, critically surveying the cuts and bruises coating his body from head to foot. A steady diet of red potions kept him alive, but it seemed that as soon as one wound healed completely, five more took its place. Even though he couldn't see her face, Link knew exactly what she was thinking, so he wasn't surprised when she said softly, "You ever think of slowing down a little?"

He sighed. "You know I can't do that, Navi. Everyone's depending on me." And the weight of that knowledge was like carrying Biggoron on his back.

"I didn't mean you should _stop,_ " Navi said. "But you won't be able to help anyone if you get yourself killed, or so badly hurt that even _you_ can't get back up again."

She hovered right over the enormous burn scar seared across his chest. The burn snaked around to his back as well, since he had rolled to put out the fire right as Volvagia had blasted him with another stream of his fiery breath. There weren't many wounds a red potion couldn't fully heal, but Link had a feeling it was due to the black magic that had twisted Volvagia. Or maybe it was just more serious because his red tunic had burned away into tatters and he'd been forced to finish the battle and escape the crater without its protection from the heat.

When he closed his eyes, he could see the enormous dragon lunging towards him like Volvagia was etched into his eyelids. He twitched involuntarily, even though he knew it was just a memory. It wasn't that easy to get over slaying a dragon. All those heroes in the legends had neglected to mention how harrowing it was to dodge flaming boulders, jets of fire, and slashing talons all at once, then bash the beast's brains in.

"I'm sorry."

Navi's tiny voice broke through the memory, and Link opened his eyes in surprise to find her hovering, wings drooping, in front of him. "If I'd only been more careful..." she whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Link said gently. "You were amazing. There was so much to keep track of, I wouldn't have even _seen_ that boulder that almost flattened me!"

"But I couldn't even figure out his weak point. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't..."

Link splashed water at her, dunking her under. She emerged, spluttering, her wings useless.

"Wh-What was that for?" she demanded, splashing him ineffectually with her tiny hands.

"That's enough," he said, trying to be stern, though she looked too funny with her wings stuck together for him to keep from smiling. "We defeated him anyway, okay? We both did our best, and we got out alive. That's all that matters in the end, right?"

She looked up at him for a long moment, then tipped back to float leisurely in the rippling waves around him. "Hmph. _I'm_ supposed to be the wise one."

Link smiled and tucked his hands behind his head. "Hey, _I_ was the one who found Volvagia's weak spot. You can let me do the lecturing for once."


	8. Innocence

**Author's Note: This idea hit me out of nowhere, and I can't quite figure out where it came from or why I felt so strongly that I** _ **needed**_ **to tell this story. The only influence I can think of is the TV show Touch, the first season of which features a facility kind of like this one. But why I thought to combine it with Zelda I have no idea. I deliberately left Link's condition vague, because the point is less about what's wrong or different about him, and more about who he is and what his strengths are. I hope what I've done with the characters' relationships won't be too weird for you. I just couldn't think of any other way for it to work in this scenario. Though I normally ship Zink, I hope it's obvious that in this chapter, I certainly don't.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Modern-day AU**

 **Theme 8: Innocence**

Zelda hugged her coat tighter against the wind and let out a deep breath as she looked up at the red brick building in front of her. She had taken the afternoon off of work and hurried over here as fast as the subway could take her, but now that she was here, she found herself oddly reluctant to mount the few steps up to the front door. This place looked so forbidding, like a prison. A dungeon full of bars and traps and guards—though the bars were just locks on the doors, the traps were in the prisoners' minds, and the guards were gentle, helpful people who knew what they were doing.

Finally, she steeled herself to march up the steps and push open the door to the front lobby. The lady behind the front desk looked up and smiled politely. "Can I help you?"

Tucking her hands into her pockets, Zelda tried not to sound nervous. "Yes, I'm here to visit Lincoln Hyland."

"And what is your name, please?" The receptionist clacked away on her keyboard, no doubt pulling up his approved visitor list. There would only be one name on that list, though.

"Griselda Hyland. I'm his sister. And his guardian."

"All right, it looks like your approval just came through today. I'll show you to the recreation room; he'll probably be there now."

Zelda followed the receptionist down the hall and around a corner, heart pounding harder with each step. It had been a month—a whole _month—_ since she'd seen her little brother. How would he respond? Would he even recognize her?

Her nervous thoughts faded away as the receptionist opened a door and waited for Zelda to walk through. Inside, she found a large, bright room filled with comfortable cushions and chairs to sit on, toys scattered around the floor and brightly colored posters on the walls. Glancing around, she saw a few children of various ages sitting around, playing by themselves or with a social worker who spoke softly to them. She relaxed a little. Maybe this place wasn't so bad.

"Link?" the receptionist said cheerfully behind Zelda. "You have a visitor. Won't you come say hi?"

Slowly, Zelda turned around and saw a teenage boy stand up to face her. He still wore his favorite green hoodie, and the cardboard sword and shield their father had made for him hung on his back like always. He was at least an inch taller than he'd been a month ago, but he was still her baby brother. He slowly grinned at her with such innocence that it was like nothing had changed.

She smiled back and held out her hand, palm up. "Hi, Link..."

Link didn't like being touched, so long ago—back when their father was still alive—they had substituted high-fives for hugs and other signs of affection. He didn't seem to mind it so much if the contact was brief. There had been so many times when Zelda just wanted to wrap her arms around her little brother and have him hug her back instead of moaning or screaming as if she were wrapping him in ropes of fire.

Zelda was expecting the usual stinging slap of his palm against hers, the only way he could show affection, but to her surprise he just laid his hand on top of hers—softly, gently, as if testing to see what it felt like. He didn't look at her; he seemed fascinated by her hand. She held utterly still, hardly even daring to breathe as he held up his own hands, looked at the palms, and then looked at her hand. He held up his left hand, then grabbed her left hand and raised it up to compare with his. She watched him, wondering what was going through his mind.

But then his hand slipped down her wrist a little, pushing up her sleeve to expose the skin. His thumb brushed over the long scar running down the inside of her forearm, and he jerked away as if it had burned him. He grunted, backing up but never taking his eyes off the mark on her arm. Zelda hastily tugged her sleeve back down to cover it up, but it was too late.

He started moaning, pressing his hands tightly over his ears to blot out everything around him, and slowly sank down onto his knees, rocking back and forth.

"Oh, no..." Zelda knelt beside him, wishing she could touch him. "I'm sorry, Link... It's okay, you're all right. Please, Link..." This was why they hadn't wanted him to live with her anymore. Why it had taken so long to convince them to let her see him.

She clutched her arm, even though it had stopped hurting a long time ago. She knew exactly what Link was seeing, exactly why her voice only made him moan louder and rock faster, unable to stop. She could see it too, every time she looked at the scar, and sometimes she wished she could just moan and try to forget too.

 _Link grunted and banged a knife on the counter. One of the slices of bread on his plate was smeared with peanut butter, but the other was bare, waiting for the jelly that sat on the counter next to it._

" _Just a minute, Link," Zelda said, getting up from the couch and the movie she'd lost interest in almost from the start._

" _Do you have to wait on him hand and foot?" Garon grumbled, glaring at the screen. "Let him make his own sandwich."_

" _I've explained this to you over and over," Zelda snapped, turning back. "He can't stand red things getting on his hands. It's just one of his—"_

 _He stood up, towering over her. "I never see you show such consideration for_ me. _Just because_ I'm _not retarded, you never do anything special for me."_

 _Her hands curled into fists. "Link is_ not _retarded!"_

 _The knife banged against the counter again. "Ah!"_

" _Just a_ minute, _Link."_

" _He can't even_ talk," _Garon said, an unmistakable sneer curling his mouth as he glanced up at Link. "It's too much for you, Zelda. Why do you slave after him night and day instead of just putting him in some kind of home?"_

 _Rage boiled in her stomach as she glared up at him. Why had she ever started dating such an ugly man? His dark eyes only seemed to reflect the darkness inside. "Why, so I can just start waiting on_ you _once he's gone?"_

 _The smirk somehow made his face even uglier than the sneer. "I can think of a few things we could do without the brat getting underfoot."_

 _SMACK! Before she could stop herself, she slapped him across the face. Eyes widening in shock at what she'd done, she took a step back and opened her mouth to apologize._

 _But Garon froze in surprise only for a second before he lurched forward and grabbed her arm in a painfully tight grip. "Why, you—"_

" _HYAAAAAAA!"_

 _Suddenly, Link was there, brandishing the largest and sharpest knife they had in the kitchen—all of which Zelda had made sure had bright red handles so Link wouldn't touch them. He whipped it around like a sword, stabbing Garon in the shoulder and making his stumble back with a yell of pain._

" _Link, no!" Zelda yelled, reaching out to stop him as he slashed at Garon again, but his wild strike sliced into her arm instead. Fierce, hot pain seared down her forearm even as she wrestled the knife from Link's hand._

 _And Link began to scream as he stared at her bright red blood on his hands._

Link was screaming, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Everyone was staring at them, and some of the other children were starting to get distressed as well. They were right after all—she wasn't fit to raise her little brother. He shouldn't even be allowed to see her.

But suddenly a young woman was there, squatting down on Link's other side. Her hair was dyed a bright, spunky blue that matched the color of her T-shirt. She wore a name tag on a lanyard around her neck like the other social workers, but she looked much younger than them—like she a college student or something. Instead of frantically trying to soothe Link like Zelda was doing, she just snapped her fingers right under his nose. "Hey!" she said sharply. "Listen!"

And to Zelda's astonishment, he stopped screaming immediately. He still rocked back and forth, clutching his head, but his mouth shut and his eyes opened. He was actually _listening._

"Remember what we do when we're upset?" the woman said gently. And then she began to hum, just a simple repetitive tune.

Link joined her, humming along to a tune he was obviously very familiar with. Each note seemed to calm him down more and more, till his rocking slowed and eventually stopped altogether. He kept his hands pressed over his ears, and closed his eyes, as if to focus completely on the tune.

"There you go," the woman said, settling down cross-legged next to him. "Now, why don't you show your sister what you've been learning?"

She pulled out a complicated-looking little wooden block puzzle, with blocks sticking up on either side that you could push in and out to help a small metal ball roll through a maze. As soon as he caught sight of it, Link stopped humming and dropped his hands from his head again. Content and cheerful once more, he took the block puzzle and immediately started moving the pieces around, obviously knowing exactly what he was supposed to do.

"Hi," the woman said cheerfully, grinning over Link's head as he hunched over his puzzle. "My name's Navi. I'm from the community college; I'm doing my practicum here this semester."

"Zelda Hyland." She breathed a sigh of relief and settled down next to Link. "I hope you'll stay longer than just the semester; you seem to be very good with Link. I've never seen him calm down so quickly."

Navi grinned. "Yeah, we understand each other pretty well. Your brother's really special, you know? He has really good spatial intelligence."

As if to prove her point, Link clicked the last block into place and tipped the puzzle so the little ball rolled out into his palm. Zelda watched in amazement. Their father had always called Link special, saying he'd been put into their lives to make them more patient and understanding. But she'd never heard anyone say that Link was _intelligent._

"Looks like I'll have to get you some harder puzzles," Navi said ruefully as Link pinched the ball between his index fingers and dropped it into her waiting palm with a triumphant, " _Dun-dun-dun-DA!"_ He got up and went over to a row of cubbyholes and started rummaging around in one.

"Most people just think he's retarded," Zelda said softly.

With a laugh, Navi shook her head. "Anyone who gets to know Link can tell he's not retarded. He's a really sharp kid—just because he doesn't talk doesn't mean he can't think. And he knows how to say the most important things without words."

Link returned to them, carrying a little blue instrument their mother had left for him before she died. She'd been a collector of obscure instruments, and she used to play music on them to calm him down when he had one of his breakdowns. Zelda remembered packing it for him when they'd taken him away—maybe he didn't know the significance of the ocarina, but at least it was a piece of home.

"Oh, is it music time?" Navi asked brightly as Link sat down and put the ocarina to his lips. Zelda prepared for the usual cacophony that erupted when he played it. "We've been practicing together. He's getting pretty good on that thing!"

A simple tune erupted from the little ocarina. There wasn't much to it—just eight notes in a rising and falling pattern—but it was an actual tune for once. Not just a random succession of notes or a single note repeated over and over again until she thought she would go crazy. It was a song.

A lullaby, she thought. That's what it sounded like. A soothing melody that could rock a baby to sleep. As he continued to play, repeating the simple tune over and over again, Link raised his eyes and looked directly back at her. A shiver ran down her back as she realized what those eyes were telling her: _This is for you._

"Navi," she said quietly, as Link played her lullaby, "please stay with Link. I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to him."


	9. Drive

**Author's Note: After reading this, you'll understand why I don't like to dabble in Majora's Mask too much DX From the first time I played it to this day, I can't even** _ **think**_ **about MM without just getting extremely depressed and/or creeped out. But I knew I'd have to write at least one chapter about it, since Navi is the whole** _ **reason**_ **the story exists. So, um...please don't kill me. Or yourself. I HAVE LESS DEPRESSING HEADCANONS IN THE FUTURE, I PROMISE! T_T**

 **Timeline: Child; Majora's Mask beginning**

 **Theme 9: Drive**

The woods were quiet—almost eerily so. Yet Link hardly even noticed. He rode with slumped shoulders, his head hanging low. Epona, picking up on his somber mood, walked slowly and quietly.

In some small corner of his mind, Link knew that he should be on his guard. They had left the familiar trees of the Lost Woods behind days ago, but this forest seemed to stretch on forever. Maybe there was no end of the world, only an endless forest that stretched on and on forever. Maybe he and Epona would keep trudging onward until they both became wraiths to haunt these woods till the end of time. Maybe they were already dead, and he just hadn't realized it yet.

Everyone had warned him not to take up this quest. Malon had tried to argue with him when he'd borrowed Epona. He'd tried to pay her, but she'd grown offended and told him to use her as long as he needed, but bring her back safe and sound when he completed his quest.

Zelda had given him all the provisions he could carry, and reminded him of the power of the Song of Time. But as he swung himself up into the saddle and turned Epona towards the gate, she reached out and put a hand on his knee. _Link...you know your quest might end in failure,_ she had said softly, as though she was afraid of how he would react. _I know it's hard to accept...but you might never find her. And you might never come back._

Even Epona seemed to realize she would never see the lush fields of Hyrule again, never taste the sweet hay of Lon Lon Ranch, never hear Malon's warm voice singing her to sleep. But Epona never complained. She was more than just a horse plodding along to her master's bidding. Link liked to imagine that she understood some part of what their quest was, that maybe she kept going because they were friends and she wanted to help him.

But he knew that was just foolishness. He had no friends. Not anymore.

That was what no one understood. The few people he'd told about his quest had looked at him with shock and confusion, as though they couldn't understand why he would go to such trouble to retrieve someone who was so obviously lost. They all seemed to think that it was a lost cause. That she was dead.

But he'd _seen_ her. As time rushed backwards around him, as everything reversed and a howling wind rose up, he'd braced himself and clung to his hat (stupid, as if a hat mattered). But Navi, as hard as she'd fought to stay with him, couldn't fight against the gale. He'd watched in horror as she was ripped away from him, buffeted on all sides by the winds of time. He'd screamed her name, tried to run after her, but there was nothing he could do. Time had him in its clutches, and it seemed determined to separate them.

And she'd yelled something at him, too. The howling of the wind had prevented him from hearing everything, but he'd caught two words that bolstered him still: _Find me._

But how could he find her without her to guide him? How could he know where she was? She could be in a completely different country, in a completely different time. She might not even remember him.

But he knew, beyond the faintest shadow of a doubt, that she was alive. She was out there somewhere, waiting for him. Maybe even looking for him too. Sometimes, as he hovered in that uncertain realm between sleep and waking, he thought he could hear her voice. Whispering to him, guiding him towards her.

So he continued on his fruitless quest, despite all the warnings and all the advice. Because without her, life was dull and meaningless. And the knowledge that she might still be alive somewhere, alive and feeling just as miserable as he did, drove him onward day and night. Even if he never saw his beloved Hyrule again, even if he was abandoning his post appointed by the goddesses, he knew he would never regret this choice.

Because that drive was the only thing keeping him alive.


	10. Breathe Again

**Author's Note: It will surprise some of you (and will probably not surprise some of you at all :P) that this is actually my favorite version of the ending. If Navi has to be taken out of the picture, I think the most satisfactory way to avoid her completely betraying their friendship is if she leaves like this. This chapter also delves into my headcanon about fairies a little.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Ganon battle**

 **Theme 10: Breathe again**

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed through the sky as the battle raged on. No rain fell from the roiling clouds overhead to extinguish the fire that ringed the battleground. There was a pent-up tension in the very air, like the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for the outcome of this final duel.

This was it. There would be no turning back. No mistakes. Ganon—man no longer, but a twisted beast with hooves and horns and a long, swishing tail—bellowed with rage and swiped at Link with twin swords, both as long as Link was tall. Link darted back and forth, dodging Ganon's attacks as he tried to find an opening to strike.

Navi fluttered overhead, keeping an eye on the battle below. "Duck!" she yelled as Ganon swiped again, and without hesitation Link dropped to the ground and rolled forward out of the way. "To the right!" And Link immediately danced to his right, narrowly missing Ganon's stomping hoof.

The last battle had been Navi's greatest failure. Ganondorf had actually managed to push her aside, keep her trapped and unable to help Link. Now, she was determined to fight back with everything she had. There was no way she would let Link down this time. Even as she yelled warnings down to Link, she kept an eye out for possible weak spots. Every monster they had ever faced, from pitiful Deku Babas all the way to the crazed and extremely powerful Twinrova sisters, had some fatal flaw. Some weakness that would cause their downfall. Ganon would be no different.

And then, as Ganon lashed his tail angrily when Link danced out of range of his swords yet again, she saw it: A pulsating, greenish-blue spot in his lizard-like tail that glowed as if it were the center of all his magic. Or his life. "Link!" she yelled over the rumble of more thunder. "It's his tail! Get his tail!"

Link didn't make the mistake of glancing up at her or letting her words distract him. In fact, he didn't make any mistakes at all. He moved with grace and speed acquired from years of fighting the most fearsome creatures in all of Hyrule. He waited for Ganon to attack again, then rolled right between his legs and stabbed Ganon in the tail.

With a howl of pain, Ganon whirled around to face him, but Link held his ground. Keeping the tail pinned to the ground with his sword, he flung up his shield to block one of the enormous swords. With his left hand, he let go of his sword's hilt and pulled out a single Light Arrow, jabbing its tip steeped with holy magic right into the wound. With a blaze of blinding light, the magic ate away at Ganon's evil flesh like acid. The beast roared with agony.

And stabbed his other sword straight through Link's side.

Ganon staggered, fell, and writhed on the ground. Zelda rushed forward from the sidelines, encasing the monster in a cage of golden light. But Navi barely noticed any of that. All she could hear was the little gasp that escaped Link as the blade went all the way through his body, and the crunch as he fell to the ground. All she could see was the puddle of red staining his green tunic far too quickly.

"Link!" Navi hovered closer, gaping in horror at the thick blade that pinned her friend to the ground. "D-Don't worry, we'll get you better right away, just hold on!"

She looked down at the jars hanging from his belt, but they both knew they were all empty. The potions they'd stocked up on in Kakariko Village were all gone by now. Link had been fighting so long, with barely even a moment of respite, let alone a chance to refill his supplies.

"N-No..." Link choked out, and to her alarm he laboriously rolled himself over and struggled to sit up.

"Don't move! You'll just hurt yourself more..."

But he wasn't listening to her. He pushed himself onto his knees, braced himself on the Master Sword, and grasped Ganon's blade with his other hand. Despite her protests, he clenched his teeth and wrenched the blade out of his side. More blood gushed out, despite the hand he pressed against the wound. He kept his eyes fixed on Zelda, who was straining to hold Ganon down. The hideous beast was wounded—perhaps fatally so—but he still fought to break free.

"Link, please!" Navi hovered helplessly at Link's side as he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily on his sword. She couldn't stop him, couldn't help him, couldn't even press a hand against his wound to help stop the bleeding. She was tiny and useless.

The burning fire of determination in Link's eyes said that he knew he was going to die. He was bleeding out, and he didn't have much time left. But he was going to take his enemy with him. He staggered over to Zelda's side, blood dripping from his fingers and splattering on the ground with every jarring step. Zelda watched him with wide eyes as he approached and raised his sword.

The hero lifted his sword to the heavens, and the clouds overhead broke just enough for a tiny sliver of sunlight to touch the magical blade. The blade came crashing down on Ganon's head, and the King of Evil was thrown into the abyss that had borne him.

But Link collapsed to the ground, the last of his strength spent. Zelda caught him, tears streaming down her face. She settled his head in her lap, but his eyes were already fluttering closed. Her gloved hands were covered with his blood. His skin was beginning to turn grey.

"Princess...isn't there anything you can do?"

Sobs shook Zelda's shoulders as she bent over him, pressing her forehead to his. "My magic is spent!" she cried, gripping his hair with bloody fingers. "It took every...every ounce of m-my power...just to..."

Was this it? Was he just going to die here? His sword, covered with Ganon's black gore, lay to one side. He'd lost his hat at some point in the battle. He'd gone so still and silent, so unlike the Link she knew. The boy who never gave up, who never let anything stop him. He was supposed to keep picking himself back up again, no matter what monsters he faced. He was supposed to be able to enjoy the world he had saved. It wasn't supposed to end like this.

"No," she said with quiet conviction. She looked down at her two glowing hands. She might be tiny, she might be useless when it came to fighting and protecting the people she loved.

But she _was_ a fairy.

In large, looping spirals that gradually grew faster and faster, Navi flew over Link, letting the magic encasing her body cascade over his wound like glowing snowflakes. As a blue fairy, she had never done this before, and she didn't have the same reserves of power that a red fairy would. But she prayed to Nayru that it would be enough.

"You have to live again," Navi murmured as the tissues knitted together again, torn muscles and ripped organs healing like new. "Breathe again. Smile."

Link's eyes opened again, and they focused on Navi as she continued to pour every ounce of her power into Link's body. As he realized what she was doing, his eyes widened and his mouth opened in protest.

Navi could feel her body fading away. Her vision was tunneling, and all sounds were muted. She knew this was the end for her—she wasn't a red, so she couldn't just come back from this. But she didn't regret it for a moment.

The last scraps of her body sank through his chest into his still-beating heart. "Do it for me."

At last, the rain began to fall.


	11. Memory

**Author's Note: I've been looking forward to this little AU for quite a while :D I was inspired by chapter 82 ("Content") of Bookwrm389's fic** _ **Shadow of the Hero**_ **(which is awesome, seriously, go read it and bug her incessantly so she'll finish it :P), which is possibly my favorite chapter of that fic. I was thinking about the solution Rauru has for Link not being ready to take up the Master Sword when he's still a kid, and wondered if there were other plans he might have come up with than keeping him in an enchanted sleep (though the parallels with the original Zelda are fun to contemplate). I don't know why my mind instantly latched onto Dampe, but once it did I just couldn't contemplate any alternative. (P.S. Yes, I know Anju is her name in MM, but she doesn't have a name in OoT! I decided not to come up with a lame name for her when she already has a perfectly good one elsewhere.)  
**

 **Timeline: Adult; AU from seven-year time lapse**

 **Theme 11: Memory**

Ladd let out a sigh of relief as he left the bustle of the Kakariko Village market behind and turned down the lane that led to the graveyard. While most of the villagers found the graveyard sad and creepy, Ladd enjoyed the peace and quiet. No one required him to talk, or laugh, or reminisce over his childhood. And when you couldn't remember anything past a stormy night when you were ten, things like that were important.

Ladd set his basket of groceries down outside the little hut where he lived, and wandered over to Dampe's grave. It was a simple stone he'd carved himself, a poor repayment for everything Dampe had done for him. "Has it been a year already?" he asked the stone quietly.

Of course, there was no response except for a distant rumble of thunder. Ladd looked up at the overcast sky, eyed the fiery ring around Death Mountain, and headed toward his little hovel. If it was going to rain, he needed to get his little cookfire going outside, or his supper would be cold tonight.

But before he could do more than place his shopping basket on the little table inside, a ball of bluish light zipped through the open window. "Hey!" it cried in a shrill, chipper voice.

Ladd's jaw dropped open. "A fairy!" he gasped. The only time he'd ever seen one was when Hoel, who ran the general store, had first set up shop with the supplies he'd managed to bring from Castle Town when it fell. But that fairy had been red, and fluttering around in a jar. Hoel had sold it to a passing Goron, before all communication with Death Mountain had fallen silent.

"C'mon, don't give me that!" the fairy— _she,_ he thought, but her voice was so high-pitched he wouldn't be able to tell the difference—cried, fluttering around him. "'A fairy,' _please._ It's me! Navi! Come on, Link, you know me!"

"Um...hello, Navi," he said politely. "But I think you have the wrong person. My name is Ladd."

Navi's wings drooped, and she landed with a sad little _plop_ on the table. "They said they took your memory...but I thought you'd at least remember _me._ "

"I'm sorry," he said, sympathetically but firmly. "But I told you already, my name is Ladd. There's no one named Link in this village."

It was hard to tell through the glow of her body, but Ladd thought Navi put her hands on her hips. "'Ladd'? What kind of name is _that,_ anyway?"

"Dampe gave it to me," Ladd said coldly, starting to put his groceries away. "When I came here, I had nothing. But Dampe gave me everything I needed."

"He gave you a name," Navi said. "So you didn't have one before? You couldn't _remember?_ "

Ladd flinched. Why did this insistent fairy have to keep poking at the darkest part of his past? A part he'd just as soon ignore? "I don't remember anything before the night I found myself lying on Dampe's doorstep," he said shortly. "I was ten."

"So _that's_ what Rauru did," Navi muttered to herself. Then she fluttered into the air again, hovering around him to catch his eye and getting in his way as he tried to put a meal together. "I can help you get your memory back! All those first ten years of your life! But you have to come with me to the Temple of Time!"

Ladd raised an eyebrow. "The Temple of Time? Right, sure. I'll just walk all the way to Castle Town, brave the streets full of Ganondorf's monsters, and put my life in danger just because some stupid fairy told me to. For all I know, you could be one of Ganondorf's servants yourself, trying to lure me to my death!"

" _Stupid?_ " Navi cried indignantly, flashing so bright that Ladd winced. "Don't you know _anything_ about fairies? I come in a direct line from Nayru herself! I couldn't be evil if I _tried!_ Or stupid, for that matter!"

"You're still not convincing me I need to risk life and limb to go to the Temple of Time. I get by just fine here, even if I _can't_ remember my childhood."

"Then _please,_ just hear me out." Navi flew up to his face so she could look directly into his eyes. "I can explain everything."

Thunder rumbled loudly overhead, and Ladd glanced out the window. Rain poured down in sheets, making it utterly impossible for him to cook anything. Looked like it would be bread and cheese again. With a reluctant sigh, Ladd pulled his stool out from under the table and settled down. "All right. Tell me."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Ladd said, emptying the dishwater out the window. The rain had slowed to a mere sprinkle while Navi talked. "My real name is Link, I grew up in the Kokiri Forest even though I'm _obviously_ a Hylian, you're my guardian fairy even though I'm not a Kokiri and therefore don't _need_ one, I retrieved the three Spiritual Stones from the Kokiri, the Gorons, and the Zora, I used them and the Ocarina of Time to open the door to the Sacred Realm, which let Ganondorf in to claim the Triforce and cover all of Hyrule with darkness...and I'm also the Hero of Time, which means it's my duty to challenge Ganondorf, wrest the Triforce from his grasp, rescue the missing Princess Zelda, and save all of Hyrule."

"Yep!" Navi said cheerfully. "That about sums it up!"

Ladd couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, and couldn't stop for a full minute even though Navi bobbed up and down irritably. "I'm sorry, Navi, but you've _definitely_ got the wrong person. I'm not a hero! I'm just an assistant gravedigger. Or, well...I guess I'm not an assistant anymore," he added sadly. Most of the villagers had shunned and feared Dampe because of his odd, slack-jawed face and mismatched eyes, but Ladd had never known a kinder soul. He missed Dampe the most on still, cold nights like this one, when somehow Dampe's silence would make the air warmer.

With difficulty, Ladd swallowed past the enormous lump in his throat. "Sorry," he said, turning away. "But you're going to have to find someone else to be your hero."

Navi looked like she was going to argue some more, but before she could say a word, a scream split the night air. Ladd whirled around. "What was that?"

"It sounded like it came from the village!" Navi said, fluttering out the window.

Ladd hurried out after her and looked in the direction of the village. But there were too many trees in the way to tell what was happening. Another scream cut through the pattering rain. "Come on!" Ladd cried, running in the direction of the sound.

It wasn't hard to find the source of the commotion. The whole village seemed to have gathered in the square, where only a few hours ago they had held their weekly market. But now they huddled together in fearful clumps, surrounding a group of men carrying torches that spluttered in the persistent drizzle.

Ladd understood immediately what was going on. "It's Ganondorf's men," he muttered to Navi, who hopped down the collar of his shirt and peeked cautiously over the top. Ladd was a little irritated at how forward she was, but he was more interested in what Ganondorf's men would do.

A man that Ladd recognized as the leader of this band of marauders paced up and down in front of the townsfolk, leering at them through his thick, matted beard. His arms, bare under the leather vest he wore, bulged with muscles and bristled with hair as black as his beard.

Then Melvar, a stooped old man in a blue robe, piped up. "You've already taken all our horses," he said, gesturing to the sorry animals a few of the bandits were holding in place. The horses were tossing their heads nervously, not enjoying being handled by these strange, rough men. "What more do you want?"

"Well, now, I'm glad you asked," the leader said, stroking his beard and casting his cruel gaze over the crowd. "We have the provisions you so _graciously_ provided us with last week. But no one to cook our meals. We shall have to fix that, _don't you think?_ " He reached out and grabbed Anju, the young lady who was always asking Ladd to help her round up her Cuccos. Anju shrieked and tried to pull away, but the man's grip was as unyielding as iron.

"Come on, boys!" he cried, jerking his head toward the crowd. "Grab a wench to bake your bread and keep you warm at night! Then let's be off."

Ladd's hands clenched into fists at his sides. The bandits, hooting and cheering, grabbed whatever girls fit their fancy, and drew them screaming and crying away from their families. One young woman had to be dragged away from two howling children clinging to her skirts. One of them was a girl who couldn't be much older than twelve. Ladd trembled with rage. He waited for someone to protest, to stand up to these disgusting men. But nobody did. He knew why—the bandits had threatened to burn Kakariko to the ground the first time they'd shown up—but that didn't make him feel any better.

Finally, Ganondorf's men were done gloating. They mounted their horses, hoisted up the girls, and galloped off, leading a train of stolen horses behind them. As soon as they were gone, the villagers turned tearfully back to their homes.

"Wait!" Ladd cried, leaping forward to where the leader of the band had addressed them. "Aren't you going to do anything? We have to get them back!"

"Nothing we _can_ do," Thando the carpenter said grimly. "If we tried to resist, they'd probably just kill the girls and burn us alive in our homes."

"But if we all worked together—"

"No, Ladd," Hoel said sadly. "We've tried resisting before—we fought against Ganondorf's invasion, and barely escaped with our lives. We stood our ground here in Kakariko, and many of us were killed. Eking out a living when Ganondorf takes everything bit by bit is hard...but it's better than dying tonight."

Ladd stood in shock as, one by one, the villagers left their wives and daughters to this terrible fate. How could they do this? How could they just give up as soon as things got hard, without even _trying_ to help the ones that needed them most?

He straightened and brushed his dripping hair out of his face. "Then I'll save them myself."

* * *

"I don't think I thought this through very well," Ladd muttered as he peered over a small hill at the enemy camp laid out below him.

"You're telling me!" Navi hissed, having just come back from scouting out the camp. "You didn't even bring a proper weapon!"

"I'm a gravedigger! All I've got is a shovel!"

"Which I notice you didn't bring."

"Shut up! I was in a hurry!"

"Okay, but we'd better _keep_ hurrying, before they do something really bad to those girls!"

"Right." Ladd thought for a moment, looking down at the bright fires below. Navi had said most of the men were drinking around the one on the left, while two guarded the girls, who had gathered around the fire on the right to fix the meal. Back in the shadows, the stolen horses were paddocked separately from the bandits' horses.

"Okay, I'll distract the guards, and you tell the girls to cut the horses loose and ride back to Kakariko as fast as they can."

Navi started to fly into position, but then she turned back. "What about you? There's...what, twenty men down there? And they're all vicious cutthroats!"

"That doesn't matter," Ladd said, trying to ignore the shiver of fear that ran down his spine. "If I don't help them, who will?"

"Hmm...and you say you're not a hero."

Ladd crept down the side of the hill and slipped soundlessly through the shadows. It had stopped raining, but clouds still obscured the moon. Good cover for their escape. As he drew closer to the fire where the girls morosely cooked, he saw that both guards were facing the fire, watching the girls rather than looking for anyone coming behind. Even better.

Sneaking up behind one guard, Ladd tapped him on the shoulder and darted away. "Hey!" the man yelled, charging after Ladd.

Once he was sure both guards were chasing him, Ladd ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction from the girls' escape route. Unfortunately, that meant running directly into the crowd of carousing men. He had enough momentum that he was able to knock one man who had his back turned directly into the large campfire. The man howled and rolled around, trying to escape the flames. The other men leapt to their feet, some toppling over backwards in their drunken state, others leaping out of the way of flying embers.

Ladd grabbed a flaming brand from the fire and whirled around to face the men pursuing him. He caught one by surprise, making him cry out as his shirt caught on fire. The other one, however, was ready. He lashed out with his sword and easily cut Ladd's stick in half. The burning end flew into a tent, which burst into flame.

He didn't waste time bemoaning his lost weapon. In fact, he didn't stop to think at all. His body seemed to move on its own, as though he had been doing this all his life. He feinted with his little stick so the man brought up his sword, then dropped the stick right where the man's foot landed as he stepped forward. The man stumbled, and Ladd kicked his legs out from under him, knocking him into the burning tent.

Ladd grabbed the man's sword even as he dropped it, the hilt falling into Ladd's palm in midair. As he spun to meet the attacks of several men at once, he _knew._ He knew he shouldn't be able to fight so well, not when he'd never even _touched_ a sword in his whole life. But he also knew, in a place deeper than his memories, deeper than his experiences, that this was what he was meant to do. He had never felt so alive.

He dodged and ducked, parried and blocked, knocked weapons from drunk men's hands and avoided their clumsy attacks. Several men fell under his sword, but then a few of the more alert ones surrounded him, hedging him in and preventing him from dodging their attacks. "Drop the sword, boy!" the leader yelled, brandishing his own blade. "And we'll see that you go quickly."

Without knowing what he was doing, Ladd held his sword out behind him, crouching down at the ready. A surge of warmth shot down the whole length of his arm and into his sword, suffusing the blade with a shimmering light that was blue at first, but soon burned red-gold like it was on fire. The men froze, dumbfounded.

Ladd released the power with a cry, the momentum of it spinning him around in a deadly twirl. All the men surrounding him fell to the ground with screams of pain as his spinning blade cut into them. Finally, he came to a stop, and stood panting in the center of the camp, surrounded by corpses.

Navi fluttered up just then, and Ladd slowly turned to her. "All right," he said, still breathing hard. "I think I need to go to the Temple of Time now."

* * *

Slowly, Ladd— _Link_ —opened his eyes again. For a moment or two, he could only stare at his hands before his face, trying to come to grips with what had just happened. He was still exactly the same as he had been—he still missed Dampe, he still thought longingly of his comfortable little hut in the Kakariko graveyard. But at the same time, he also missed Saria and the other Kokiri, and he worried over what had happened to Malon and Talon, and he hoped that Zelda and Impa were safe, wherever they were. It was disorienting, like each eye saw a different view and he couldn't concentrate on both at once. He was Link...but he was also Ladd, and he wouldn't _stop_ being Ladd just because he could remember everything now.

Sheik, the strange masked man who had been waiting for them in the Temple of Time, stood watching him carefully—almost worriedly. "I hope you can forgive the Sages," he said cautiously. "But they really did mean it for the best. They hoped that if they erased all memory of Link from the land, you would still be able to live a life. To be happy, and safe, until you were old enough to take up this quest."

"It's all right," Link said, letting his hands drop down to his sides. He _had_ been happy, from time to time. But it was disheartening to realize that, in both of the lives he'd lived, he had always been an outcast.

Navi peeked at him over Sheik's shoulder almost shyly, and Link's face immediately split in a wide grin. "Navi!" he cried, cupping his hands around her and pulling her up to his cheek. "I've missed you so much...even though I didn't realize it until now." He pulled her away just far enough so she could look him in the eye. "But where were _you_ the past seven years?"

"They put me in an enchanted sleep!" Navi huffed, though he could tell from her voice that she was smiling. "I didn't hear any of the Sages wanting _me_ to live my life!"

Link laughed, despite everything he'd been through, despite everything that had been taken from him without asking, despite the daunting task laid before him now. Because as long as he had Navi, he knew it would be all right.


	12. Insanity

**Author's Note: Wow, this one really got out of hand! It started as just the first scene here, but then of course I had to think of a** _ **reason**_ **for this to happen...and it turned into this long-winded thing. I also thought this fic needed a little more Zelda, because Zelda's actually quite awesome; she's just not the focus of this fic, so I tend to ignore her a little too much. In reaction to that, I guess I may have lost sight of the purpose of this fic, but oh well XD Writing from Zelda's POV, it turns out, takes a lot more effort than Link's. She actually thinks things through before reacting. (For the Harry Potter fans out there, she is a Ravenclaw. I am too, which you'd think would make it easier for me to write her, but apparently not XD) I'll leave it up to you to decide how Navi is still here even though this is set after the game, whether it follows my AU from "Seeking Solace" or something else happened to allow her to stay.**

 **Timeline: Adult; post-game AU**

 **Theme 12: Insanity**

Queen Zelda was listening to a dull but unfortunately necessary report on the harvest in eastern Hyrule when Sir Fidel entered the throne room. She held up a hand to stop the old man reading from his ledger and said as graciously as she could, "Forgive me, but there is a matter I must see to at once. Please speak with my steward; he will see that you have the supplies you need."

The man bowed low and let a servant lead him away. Zelda, unable to stand the suspense, rose and stepped down from the dais on which her throne sat. She managed to hold onto enough propriety to restrain herself from running to meet Sir Fidel and shaking answers out of him, but it was a near thing.

Thankfully, Sir Fidel wasted no time. Pulling his helmet from his head, he dropped to one knee and said, "Your Majesty...we found him. He is alive."

Zelda let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, and thought for a moment that she might have to sit down. But then she waved away her attendant, who hovered nervously at her elbow, and locked her fingers together to keep them from shaking. "Bring him before me. I would hear the report in his own words."

But Sir Fidel hung his head. "Your Majesty...that will not be possible."

A shard of fear stabbed her heart. "How bad are his wounds?"

Sir Fidel looked up with a frown. "That's just it, Your Majesty. He is physically unharmed...but he appears to be insane."

The word fell flat on her ears like a nonsensical jumble of sounds. She stared right over her knight's head for a moment, trying to understand, but her mind seemed to have jammed. "Bring him before me," she said again.

Sir Fidel bowed low and retreated, and after a few moments he returned to the throne room. Two knights accompanied him, bracing themselves and pulling on chains. For a moment, the person at the other end of the chains remained out of sight on the other side of the door. But then they pulled him through and her worst fears were realized.

"Link!"

She barely recognized him. His hat was gone, and his clothes were torn nearly to shreds. He was streaked with blood and dirt, and his hair straggled down over his eyes, grown unruly in the month since she had last seen him. He strained against the chains shackled to his wrists, baring his teeth like a wild animal as he glared at his captors. A panting, growling sound rumbled deep in his throat, unlike anything she had ever heard from a human being. "Link..."

At the sound of her voice, Link's head snapped up and his glaring eyes met hers. His nostrils flared, and he eyed her for a moment, as if trying to figure out who she was.

"Link," Zelda said softly, drawing closer. "Do you know me?"

He moved so suddenly that the knights were barely able to hold him back. Link lunged forward, snarling and snapping like a rabid dog, and Zelda barely stepped back in time before he could bite her. He strained against the chains, snarling and gnashing his teeth, a bit of spittle rolling down his chin. Sir Fidel was right—he _did_ seem insane.

She snapped her fingers, and Link immediately fell into a deep sleep. The knights who had dug in their heels to hold Link back now scrambled forward to catch him before he could fall on his face. As much as Zelda wanted to cry, she held her emotions in check. For now, she needed to be the queen. "Where did you find him?"

"We found him wandering around western Hyrule, near Lake Hylia." Sir Fidel gazed at his grubby fellow knight with a sad expression. "He was down on all fours, and his horse was nowhere in sight."

Then something occurred to her. "What of his sword? His other weapons?"

Sir Fidel shook his head. "We searched the area, but either someone took them or he discarded them in his madness."

That worried her. She didn't like to think of the Master Sword or the Ocarina of Time falling into the wrong hands. And this would be the perfect way for someone to steal them, wouldn't it? Cast a spell on Link, steal his greatest weapons...and there would be little to stand in that evil person's way. But who could do such a thing? She had never heard of a spell that caused insanity.

Zelda sighed. She knew the answers would not be easy to find. "Take Sir Link to his chambers," she said with a heavy heart. "See that he is cleaned and his wounds are treated before the spell wears off. Then bind him securely to his bed, but do not hurt him. He is not in his right mind."

As the knights carried out her orders, Zelda noticed what was missing, an absence she should have seen immediately: Navi.

* * *

That night, Zelda dismissed the guard posted outside Link's room and took up her own vigil at his side. The spell had worn off hours ago, and when he spotted her, Link began snarling again, thrashing against the chains holding him down in the bed. Wearily, Zelda sank into a chair at his bedside, out of reach of his hand that scrabbled at the sheets.

She dropped her face into her hands. "Who did this to you, my love? What evil spell is this?"

Link, of course, made no response except that awful throaty growl.

With a sigh, she let her hands drop into her lap and looked at him. His lips were dry and cracked; no one had been able to give him food or water without him biting their fingers off. She would have to figure out a spell that would leave him in enough of a stupor that he wouldn't attack anyone, but awake enough that he could still eat...

The silence of the night was shattered with the sound of a breaking window. Zelda whirled around in shock just in time to see a huge grey wolf crash through the window and land on the carpet next to her amid a shower of glass shards. Stifling a scream, Zelda darted away around the other side of the bed. How on earth had this animal managed to climb all the way up here? How had the castle guards not spotted it? Why would it go to so much trouble just for a meal? Her hand inched toward the bell-pull on the far wall that would bring a guard running.

But then the wolf did something she'd never seen an animal do before: It bowed. The wolf tucked its right paw under, put its left paw forward, and bowed its head low to the ground. Had someone trained this wolf like a dog?

Then her eyes fell on the paw stretched towards her. Unmistakable, even through the grey fur, were the golden lines that traced the Triforce of Courage. Zelda's eyes darted to Link's left hand, gripping the sheets in a white-knuckled grip. Nothing marred the skin on the back of his hand. How had she missed it all this time?

At her gasp, the wolf looked up. Its blue eyes stared right into hers, as if begging her to understand the words it couldn't say. And even though the very idea was ridiculous, Zelda sank to her knees and whispered, "Link? Is that you?"

The wolf whined and wagged his tail as he picked his way through the broken pieces of window to get to her. He licked her cheek, whining piteously, and she wrapped her arms around his furry neck. "Oh, Link," she said, kissing the top of his head and looking into his eyes. "Who did this to you?"

But of course, Link couldn't say a word.

Zelda looked despairingly between Link's body, growling on the bed, and the wolf that housed his soul. How on earth would she reverse this? How much easier it would be if he could tell her what had happened! Or if someone had seen it...

The question hit her with such force she couldn't believe she had forgotten it. Holding Link's head in both hands, she slowly asked, "Where is Navi?"

If Link could have cried in his present form, Zelda was sure he would have. Instead, he tipped back his head and started to howl. The Link on the bed grew still and chimed in, his human voice eerily echoing the wolf's.

"Shhh!" Zelda clamped her hands around Link's snout to quiet him. "No one must know you're here, or they might kill you before they recognize you. Now." She stroked the soft fur on top of his head and looked deep into his eyes. "Is Navi...beyond help? Or may we find her again?"

In reply, Link sprang to his feet and bounded over to the window again, looking back expectantly at her. Hope filled Zelda's heart. Perhaps if they could find Navi, she could provide some clue as to what had happened and how they could reverse it. She was a wise creature. She would know what to do.

* * *

Within the hour, Zelda stood outside the city walls in the moonlight, dressed in the close-fitting Sheikah garb Impa had trained her in. Her long, golden hair was braided and coiled around her head, and she obscured her face behind a white cloth just in case. She had instructed her handmaiden to tell anyone that asked that she was too ill to speak to anyone. The ruse wouldn't hold up for long, but they could move faster with just two of them. She would gather her troops if necessary, but hopefully they could resolve this quickly. And for Navi, time was of the essence.

Link had led her over the rooftops of the castle and through tiny gaps in the walls she hadn't known about before. Now Link tipped back his head and began to howl again. This time, instead of a single mournful cry, it almost sounded like his wavering voice followed a tune. A simple tune, garbled by the wolf's voice, but a tune nevertheless.

Somewhere in the distance, a horse neighed. Zelda turned and saw Epona, Link's beautiful chestnut mare, galloping towards them over a distant hill. Link wagged his tail as the horse trotted up to them. To Zelda's surprise, Epona didn't seem spooked by the presence of a wolf; she lowered her head to Link's, snuffed loudly, and let Link rub his head against hers. Maybe he still smelled like Link, even in this form.

Epona had been around Zelda enough, and Link had pulled her up to ride with him enough, that Zelda was able to swing herself into Epona's saddle with no difficulty from the feisty horse. With an eager bark, Link bounded forward into the night. Epona followed before Zelda could even grasp the reins, and the two easily kept pace with each other. Zelda bent low over Epona's neck and squinted into the cool night breeze. They headed west, towards Lake Hylia.

They rode all through the night, stopping only for water and to catch their breath before charging onward. As the sun slowly rose behind them, they neared the valley that wound its way towards Lake Hylia. But instead of heading in that direction, Link turned to the south and plunged into the scrubby forest that grew on either side of the maintained road between Hyrule Castle and Lake Hylia. Once they entered the gloomy darkness of the forest, Zelda had to dismount to avoid low-hanging branches. Their pace slowed, but Zelda kept up with Link as best as she could.

They had been trudging through the undergrowth for nearly an hour before Zelda realized the trees, which had been thick with greenery out on Hyrule Field, became increasingly barren the farther they went. It was like walking from high summer straight through fall and into winter. They passed from healthy trees to ones covered with dead leaves that refused to fall, and finally to scraggly ones with gnarled, bare branches that clacked together ominously. It grew quiet, too—no small animals skittered past, no birds flew overhead. Everything was still, silent. Waiting.

Then the forest opened into a clearing, in the middle of which stood a castle made entirely out of black stone. For the first time, Epona balked, tugging at the reins in Zelda's hand and trying to pull away. Zelda let her, knowing she would return at Link's call if they needed her. Link looked up at her, she nodded, and they both crept towards the mysterious castle.

There shouldn't have been a castle in these woods. All the noblemen of Hyrule—who ought to be the only ones able to afford such a structure—were known to her already. There was one nobleman, a Lord Thornil, who lived on the other side of Lake Hylia, but no one else resided in this remote part of the land. How could this estate have escaped her notice all this time?

The interior of the castle was as strange as its location. Rooms sprawled throughout the castle, lined with tall, narrow windows pointing towards lofty, vaulted ceilings. Torches flickered on the black stone walls, reflected in the black marble floor, which shone as clear as glass. But every room was completely empty. There were no furnishings, not even a tapestry or decorative suit of armor. If not for the abundance of torches and the lack of dust, Zelda would have thought this castle was abandoned.

Link led the way without hesitation through the maze of rooms to a narrow staircase leading downwards. He looked at her, then crept down the stairs with hackles raised. Zelda, understanding what he meant, pulled out her daggers and followed him silently.

The lower level of the castle couldn't have been more different from the empty halls above. The stairs led directly into what appeared to be some kind of laboratory. Odd-colored potions and other substances filled vials on the shelves lining the room. Strange magical devices were scattered throughout the large room. Many of them were covered with dark stains that could have been rust...or perhaps blood. And along one wall stood a row of cages, in which prowled all manner of beasts—from an ordinary cow to what looked like a baby Lizalfos.

Zelda glanced around the room, but it appeared to be as unoccupied as the castle above. Whoever was responsible for all of this didn't seem to be at home. Lowering her daggers, she muttered, "What _is_ all of this?"

Link darted forwards, heading straight for one of the mysterious contraptions. It looked a bit like the scales shopkeepers used in the Castle Town marketplace to weigh out the proper amount of goods. But these scales were enormous, balancing two cages large enough to hold a grown man. And sitting on the central metal post that acted as a fulcrum was a dim green net of energy, creating an orb of crackling light. In the middle of the orb floated a very familiar fairy.

"Navi!" Zelda cried, darting forward. She knew better than to touch the net trapping Navi; she couldn't be sure what the spell was, but it looked dangerous.

To her dismay, Navi didn't answer her cry, or even move. She merely hung suspended in the center of the net. Zelda's one comfort was that Navi was still alive; until her glow disappeared completely, Navi would survive.

A crushing frustration settled on her shoulders. Link couldn't talk, Navi was unconscious. How was she to figure out what to do? She had to find some way to reverse the spell put on Link and free Navi, and make sure they could get out before the evil magician returned.

But then she noticed Link pawing at her leg to get her attention. Once she looked down at him, he crossed to one of the cages on the enormous scale. He crouched down, growled briefly, then straightened again and padded over to the other cage. After a couple tries, he managed to rear up onto his hind legs, looking at her pointedly before dropping back down on all fours. He darted between the two cages, repeating this process several times, obviously trying to tell her something.

The third time he rose up on his hind legs, Zelda said hesitantly, "A human?"

Link waved his tail so excitedly it could only mean yes. Then he bounded over to the other cage and growled again.

Zelda looked between the two cages, thinking hard. "So he put you in this cage...and the wolf in the other?" At Link's affirmative tail wag, she turned her attention to Navi. "And he put Navi in the middle..."

Why would this person put Navi in a magical cage in the middle of this machine that swapped the souls of a man and a wolf? If he were merely intending to imprison her, there were a thousand easier ways to do it. All one needed to do in order to trap a fairy was stuff it in a jar and perhaps place something heavy on top so the fairy would have a harder time levitating the jar from the inside. No, Navi's prison had something to do with the machine, she was sure of it.

What did she know about fairies? They were, as Navi insisted on reminding them all at every opportunity, the offshoots of the Great Fairies, who in turn were the progeny of the goddesses themselves. So Navi possessed a tiny scrap of Nayru's power, the very power that flowed through Zelda's veins thanks to her Triforce: the power of Wisdom. Navi demonstrated this power with the vast amounts of knowledge she possessed about the world and the creatures in it—far more than a tiny forest dweller ought to have.

Perhaps the evil one who had done this had sought to harness Navi's power to fuel his contraption. After all, the legends said that Nayru had created law, order, and love. Din had created the land, Farore had blessed the land with life...but it was Nayru who had given them consciousness and the ability to think. It made a certain sort of sense that this power, twisted with dark magic and evil intent, would result in a man's consciousness being trapped in the body of a wolf.

"The only question is," she muttered to herself, "how to reverse it?"

As she leaned in closer to examine Navi's prison, Link went sniffing around the room, hopefully in search of clues. Though the spiky, sharp designs in the magical threads of the net were unfamiliar to her, they reminded her of the pattern in a common holding spell. It was like hearing a familiar song in an unknown language—the rhythm and the notes were the same, but they bore no meaning to her. Unfortunately, that could present a major problem for someone trying to break the spell. Stopping the enchantment was simple enough—she could cast a spell of sharpness on the already-sharp edge of one of her daggers, and simply slice through the magical threads. But she needed to know what source was fueling the spell. If it was a magical object, that would pose no problem—it would break from the backlash of the spell unless it was very powerful. If the source was the evil magician himself, it would alert him to their presence and probably bring him down on them in moments.

But the worst—and unfortunately most likely—possibility was that Navi was fueling the spell. Fairies possessed enough power by themselves that they wouldn't need a conduit to stabilize the amount of power the machine required. And if she cut the net, the backlash would be more than her tiny body could bear. The thought made Zelda feel sick. Whoever had done this clearly had no intention of Navi surviving this experience.

Link returned to her side, dragging a pack with him. Zelda immediately recognized it as the bundle of Link's belongings the knights had been unable to find. He dropped it in her lap, then retreated to drag his sword and shield over as well. He whined, looking up at her imploringly.

Though she had little hope of finding the answer to their dilemma, Zelda sheathed her daggers and started rummaging through Link's pack. Besides his bedroll and dried travel provisions, Link always carried a plethora of odd weapons and contraptions he'd found in his travels. Zelda wasn't even sure how some of them worked—she'd never been able to get the Hookshot to work, for example. Link always made it look so easy, just a twist of the wrist and a sharp tug...

For a moment or two, she turned the Ocarina of Time over in her hand, trying to think of a song that could fix this. The Song of Time, unfortunately, could not turn back time by itself. The Song of Healing could possibly restore Link and the wolf to their rightful forms, but they would both have to be present... She tucked the ocarina into an inside pocket for safekeeping.

She pulled out a chain that Link usually wore around his neck. From it dangled three magical crystals Link had once told her he'd sought from the Great Fairies. Farore's Wind would yank him out of harm's way and back to the entrance of whatever building he was in at the time. Din's Fire created a powerful blast of flames. And Nayru's Love encased him in a dome of protection and healing magic. Link had told her stories of times each of the three gems had made the difference between life and death. And, as odd as it seemed, a tentative plan began forming in her mind.

But before the thought could fully solidify, Link suddenly threw himself at her with such force that she tumbled to one side, dropping the chain and sending Link's belongings in every direction. A blast of energy crashed into the space she had just vacated, melting the stones of the floor into a mushy black puddle.

"I must confess," called a mocking voice that sounded horribly familiar, "I'm a little surprised you fell for my trap so easily, Your Majesty."

Link crouched protectively in front of her, growling deep in his throat. With his hackles raised, he looked almost twice his normal size. Zelda sat up, and looked over his shoulder to see the man responsible for all this.

It was another Link. He looked exactly like the man Zelda knew so well—except that he wore a black tunic, his hair was the color of ash rather than the golden sunrise, and his skin was as dark as night. His eyes glowed red with malice, and his too-sharp teeth shone with a triumphant grin.

Though she had never seen him before, Zelda knew exactly who this was: Dark Link.

The sight of the man he had turned into a wolf snarling as though about to leap straight for his neck didn't seem to perturb Dark Link in the slightest. He calmly approached them, holding one hand at his side, open as though holding an invisible ball. Faint jolts of energy sparked on his fingertips. "I see you've done some upgrading since you last fought Link," Zelda said, slowly getting her feet underneath her.

"Ah, so he's told you about me?" Dark Link said with mild interest, not slowing his advance at all. "Excellent. Has he told you he still has _nightmares_ about me, his greatest enemy?" He laughed—a cold, merciless sound.

Zelda smoothly got to her feet, drawing herself up to her full height. "I have come to restore my knight, dark one," she said, ignoring his words. "If you release him from this spell, I will let you live."

Dark Link tipped his head back and laughed, his mocking voice echoing around the room. She noticed, peripherally, that all the creatures in the cages cowered back at the sound. "Ah, my queen," Dark Link said as his laughter died away. "I have never lived. So how could you think to threaten me with death? Lord Ganon formed me from the abyss you imprisoned him in. But with one drop of that brat's blood, I was tied to this world. Even if you killed Lord Ganon a hundred times over, I will not perish. To kill me...you will have to kill your precious hero."

Link let out a thunderous growl, as if to say, _I'd like to see you try._

But Dark Link's words worried Zelda. If what he said was true, the best they could hope for would be containment. She longed to cast a holding spell like the one he'd cast on Navi, but didn't dare without a magical item that could take the brunt of the backlash if he managed to break the spell. She wouldn't put it past him to have an elaborate trap set up for just such a situation.

"But that's where I have an advantage," Dark Link continued, stalking forwards despite Link's growls. "You see, you two are both mortal. It's the easiest thing in the world to kill _you._ "

"But why do you _want_ to kill us?" Zelda demanded, desperately trying to buy the time to think of a way out of their predicament. For now, their priority had to be getting out of here alive. Much as she hated to leave Navi with this monster, they could figure out how to undo the spell later.

The look Dark Link gave her was almost pitying, though it was a bit hard to read the expression on such a dark face. "Please," he said condescendingly. "I am Link's doppelganger. The only thing in this world that gives me pleasure is his pain. Now, of course I can't kill him right away, or I would die too." He flipped his hand carelessly, pacing back and forth in front of her. Link moved with him, always keeping between Dark Link and Zelda.

"And what pains Link more than anything else?" Dark Link idly formed an orb of dark energy in the palm of his hand, making it expand and contract. "Seeing the people he loves _suffer._ Lord Ganon gave me many things—he gave me this form, this semblance of life. He gave me access to the dark power I wield. But most of all, he gave me the key to Link's eternal suffering."

Dark Link suddenly hurled the ball of dark energy at Zelda. Link rushed at Dark Link a second too late, and Zelda tried to leap out of the way. Instead of catching her straight in the chest, the attack hit her leg, knocking it out from under her and tossing her to one side. The intensity of the pain surprised her; she felt as though her leg had been ripped off completely.

As she lay in agony on the floor, hoping her leg hadn't been turned to mush, she gradually became aware of something hard and poky pressing against her stomach. Compared to the agony blazing down her leg, this discomfort was negligible, but for some reason the small irritant clutched at her mind and wouldn't let go. She slid her hand underneath her and tugged at it. A chain tangled in her fingers, and as she pulled it out she felt three distinct shapes slide past. The three fairies' gems.

Cracking her eyes open, Zelda saw Link fighting his doppelganger ferociously. He kept the fighting in close quarters, not giving Dark Link the chance to cast any more spells. For the moment, Dark Link was occupied. Now was her only chance to act.

It took more strength than she thought her arms possessed to push herself up to a sitting position. Arms trembling, she risked a glance down at her injured leg. _Well, at least it isn't a puddle of melted flesh,_ she thought faintly, her sight wavering as she gaped at the mess of bone, tissue, and blood that had once been an appendage. Hopefully, after many potions, she might be able to stand again...

But none of that would matter if she didn't act now. She gathered the three gems into her hand, and in one fluid motion flung them straight into the orb holding Navi prisoner.

Several things happened in such quick succession they seemed almost simultaneous. The three crystals smashed into the magical net, shattering the crystals. Din's Fire erupted, breaking the spell of holding effortlessly and singeing Zelda's hair as she flattened herself on the floor. Nayru's Love formed a protective dome around Navi, shielding her from the fire and the backlash of the spell. And Farore's Wind flashed green, whirling Navi to safety. Even as Dark Link turned and screamed in fury, the wolf who had been fighting him shook his head, looking around in sudden confusion. Zelda grabbed the Master Sword in one hand, the Ocarina of Time in the other, and trilled off the fastest one-handed rendition of the Prelude of Light anyone in Hyrule had ever heard.

Even so, agony ripped down her back, and she fell screaming to the floor of the Temple of Time.

* * *

Zelda groggily opened her eyes, vaguely recognizing the fog around her senses as potion-induced. Gradually, she became aware of the soft pillow under her head, and the thick blankets pressing comfortingly on top of her. "Ah, so I survived," she said.

Or that was what she _tried_ to say. It came out as more of a moan.

"Shhh." A warm, rough hand gently dabbed at her hot forehead with a familiar gentleness that made her want to cry. She had begun to worry that she would never feel those hands again. She opened her eyes and saw Link bending over her and smiling—though there were dark circles under his eyes and lines of worry creased his brow.

"You should switch with Pemmel more," Zelda slurred, finally achieving coherence. "You can't just sit there watching over me all the time."

Link's eyebrows shot up in surprise, then he chuckled fondly. "That's my queen," he murmured, brushing a few strands of damp hair off her forehead. "Always thinking too hard when she's supposed to be resting." He kissed her gently, though she was too weak and sluggish to respond. "I think you and Pemmel spend far too much time together; you're starting to sound like her now."

Zelda smirked. "Jealous? Keep saving my life like this, and I might have to marry you after all."

"I wouldn't say no to that," he said softly. Though he was still smiling, there was no jest in his tone. His eyes were two wells as deep as the ocean, but as warm as a hot spring on Death Mountain.

 _Did I just propose to him when I'm too weak to even lift my hand?_ Blinking to clear her vision, Zelda squinted up at him. "I hope you know nothing I say is binding while my brain is addled with potions."

When his smile widened, she felt as though her insides had been melted by Dark Link's magic. "I can wait."

That was what he had said when he'd asked her three years ago. She had refused, claiming she needed to restore Hyrule to its former glory and firmly establish her rule first. Then she had asked him to make himself known as a knight of the realm, so the people would trust him with the safety of their kingdom once he became king. She was running out of excuses to delay. And finding it harder to remember why she thought delay was necessary.

Thankfully, an energetic ball of blue light interrupted their little staring contest and bounced happily on the tip of Zelda's nose. "Finally! The queen's awake! Now Link will finally listen to some _sense_ and take care of himself!"

Link scooped Navi up, for which Zelda was grateful—the bouncing, sparkling fairy was making her dizzy. "It was actually Navi who did the saving," he said, grinning at her efforts to break out of his grip, "not me. You know what she did the second Farore's Wind took her out of there? She gathered up all the red fairies she could find and high-tailed it to the Temple of Time."

"I could hear everything that was going on, you know," Navi said, finally wriggling out of Link's hand and settling onto his shoulder instead. "I just couldn't _do_ anything about it until you broke the spell. And I knew what you needed most was magic powerful enough to heal that wound of yours."

"How did you know where I would be?" Zelda asked.

" _Please._ How long have we known each other? You're actually kind of predictable."

Zelda laughed. It felt so good to laugh—she'd done far too little of it in past weeks, while consumed with worry for Link. "Thank you, Navi. I don't know how to repay you."

"You could marry Link."

"Navi!" Link's look of aghast embarrassment was enough to tell her that at least he hadn't put her up to it.

"I'm serious!" Navi said, twitching her wings with a mock-angry tinkle. "At least then you won't keep moaning about it to me! I barely get a wink of sleep anymore, you know! He just keeps talking about _you!_ "

Link's stammered assurances that he hadn't told Navi what to say were hilarious, but Zelda felt the potion pulling her back under the shroud of sleep. "I'll consider it, Navi," she said, closing her eyes. "Put it on my agenda for when I wake up."


	13. Misfortune

**Author's Note: I think we can all agree that the Happy Mask Salesman is the stuff of nightmares. The masks in general are, come to think of it. And as soon as I saw this theme, I thought of him. The word is** _ **technically**_ **not in his most famous quote, but it was close enough that I knew I'd have to make this chapter be about masks.** **Besides, I've always wondered what motive the Happy Mask Salesman has for his business—I don't believe for a second that he's just nice like that.**

 **Timeline: Child; mid-game**

 **Theme 13: Misfortune**

"I still say that Skull Kid ripped you off," Navi said as Link pushed open the door to the Happy Mask Shop.

"It was only ten rupees," Link said reasonably. "That's a small price to pay for someone's happiness."

"Happiness at the expense of others," Navi sniffed. "You know he's just going to go around scaring the Kokiri now. It's the principle of the matter."

Link opened his mouth to reply, but then realized that the shop was empty. "Oh, I guess he's not here," he said, peering into the corners of the slightly eerie shop. Masks hung on every inch of the walls except for the space taken up by a massive floor-length mirror. Whenever he was in here, Link always felt like the empty eye holes in the masks were watching him. He told himself he was being stupid. The Happy Mask Salesman just wanted to make people happy, like he did.

"Good," Navi said briskly. "Because we still have to get a refill of Deku Seeds and stop by the potion shop, and time's a-wasting."

But Link ignored her. He'd just spotted a new mask hanging on a blank ivory bust in the middle of the counter. The Happy Mask Salesman usually had the next mask waiting for him when he stopped by; he seemed to have a sixth sense about when Link had managed to sell the last one. Or maybe he just always had one displayed, and offered that one to Link when he visited. The masks were all rather odd-looking, but this one was even more so. It was blank, without even eye holes, made of a shiny, silvery substance Link couldn't identify.

Link had always felt strangely drawn to the masks in this shop. The first thing he did, every time he bought a new one, was try it on and look at his reflection. It was funny to see people's reactions to the masks, too. So, not heeding Navi's hissed warnings not to touch something that wasn't his, Link picked up the mask and put it on.

The instant the smooth material of the mask touched his face, Link began to scream. Pain blazed across his face and covered his whole body, all the way down to his toes. It seeped into him, all the way down to his bones, turning him inside-out and upside-down till he didn't even know his own name.

As suddenly as the pain had started, it came to an end. Link hesitated, eyes screwed up just in case a second wave of pain should come, but when nothing happened, he cautiously opened his eyes. He stood in the same place, and the Happy Mask Shop looked the same as it always did...with one slight difference: Everything was about ten times too big.

Link looked up—and up and up and up—at the counter that he'd been able to look over a moment ago, and said, "Huh?"

He clapped his hands over his mouth. The word hadn't come out in his own voice, but in a tiny, tinkly _squeak._

Then he looked down at himself for the first time, and he jumped so hard his whole body jingled like a bell. He was completely naked (though he seemed to be lacking a few anatomical details), and his skin was glowing a dazzling green. He looked over his shoulder and, sure enough—wings like a butterfly were attached to his shoulders. He found he could move them, and when he flapped them experimentally, the bell sound was even louder.

Somehow, as ludicrous as it sounded...he had turned into a fairy. Then he remembered the mask, and hastened to pull it off. But he couldn't even feel it on his face anymore. It seemed too have melted right into his skin.

Terror rose in his throat like bile (though as a fairy, he probably couldn't throw up). "Navi, help!"

"Help yourself," boomed a very loud, very irritated voice somewhere far above him. "You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place, and _now_ look at me!"

He did, and he wasn't sure if he was about to burst out laughing or keel over backwards in a dead faint. Towering above him like a giant, looking glumly at her reflection in the huge mirror, stood a Hylian girl wearing his clothes. If he'd ever stopped to think about what Navi would look like as a Hylian, he probably would have imagined her with blue hair or at least wearing a blue dress. But she was blonde and wore his green tunic, and the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield were strapped to her back. In all, she didn't look much different from Link, but there was something feminine about her, and something very _Navi._

She whirled around to glare at him, and he found himself at the mercy of her huge, vividly blue eyes. "This is all your fault!" she yelled, the force of her voice making the floor shake beneath him. How could she stand it when he yelled in battle, or when monsters let out blood-curdling shrieks? "Why did you have to put that _stupid_ mask on?" She stomped her foot, making him stumble and nearly lose his balance.

He tried fluttering his wings again, and found that he could fly, after a fashion. He wobbled through the air, turned over, and nearly fell back to the floor, but he finally made it safely to the countertop, where he could look Navi more or less in the eye.

"And why did _I_ change too?" Navi demanded furiously, glaring at him and not helping him even though he was obviously struggling. "I didn't put on any dumb masks; all I did was _look_ at you, and POOF! I'm a freaking giant, and you're tiny!"

"I'm also green and glowing," Link muttered, wincing at his own high-pitched voice.

"Yeah, well, you _would_ be green," Navi sighed, ruefully plucking at her green tunic. "Seriously, though, why don't you think before you act?" She walked over to the counter, stepping strangely—her toes touched the ground first, rather than her heels. Then Link realized that was the way she normally walked. As a fairy, she was so light that she barely even touched the ground, so she walked like a dancer.

Navi didn't deserve to be weighed down and rooted to the ground like a Hylian. She was a beautiful being of the forest and the sky, the sun and the water, and she needed to be free. Not shackled to a common boy who could only bring her mischief. "I'm sorry, Navi," he said quietly.

It was odd to be able to read Navi's expression. Normally he had to pay attention to her body language and tone of voice, and while that never hindered her ability to express herself...it was strange that he only had to look at her face now. It wasn't like her, and he wanted it to stop.

Navi's expression softened as she looked down at him. "Well...it happened, and we can't change that. I just wish you'd _listen_ to me more."

Link nodded with a sad _tink-tonk_ sound. "How do we get out of this one?"

With a groan, Navi ran her hands through her hair and knocked off her green hat, but she didn't seem to notice. "We don't even know what the mask _did,_ so how can we know how to undo it? Have you tried taking the mask off?"

"Can't," Link said grimly. "Whatever magic this is won't give us up that easily."

"The Great Fairy of Magic!" Navi cried desperately. "She's close by! Maybe she can heal us!"

She tried to run out the door, and Link tried to fly after her, but they both tripped over themselves and ended up in a heap before the door.

"My, my...you've met with a terrible misfortune, haven't you?"

They whirled around (Link clutching onto the fabric of Navi's shoulder so he wouldn't fall off), and saw the Happy Mask Salesman sitting behind the counter, smiling cheerfully like he always did, as if he'd been there the whole time. He was a little man in a bright purple shirt, his brown hair plastered to the top of his head like the carved wooden hair of a doll.

After a moment of shocked silence, Navi charged forward in her odd, tiptoeing gait. "What's the big idea, mister?" she demanded, slamming her hands down on the counter. "Leaving that awful mask out where anyone could put it on... Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you put it there on _purpose!_ "

The Salesman's smile widened. Though his teeth glistened, his smile never seemed to reach his beady, calculating eyes. "There are a great many masks in my shop," he said complacently. "And all my masks bring about wonderful effects on those who wear them. Not even I know the full extent of these effects. It has been most delightful to see the effect the Mirror Mask has upon its bearer."

"It was an experiment!" Link squeaked indignantly. "You knew I would come back, so you left the mask out, hoping I'd try it on!"

"I did not know what it would do," the Salesman said, wringing his hands obsequiously but still smiling that infernal grin. "Your input has been most valuable in determining the target buyer for this mask."

"Okay, we get it, you're a manipulative trickster," Navi interrupted. "But you can fix this, right? I mean, what's the point of a mask that you can't take off?"

His smile grew cold. "Why would anyone want to take off a mask that brings such happiness?"

For a long moment, they all stared at each other, and Link was beginning to fear that the Salesman would refuse to help them. But then he relaxed, and his smile grew smaller—which, oddly enough, made him look more friendly. "There is one thing you can do," he said. "I can teach you the Song of Healing, music that will break the strongest curse."

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" Navi eagerly dug around in her pockets until she found the ocarina.

The Salesman pulled out a little music box from under the counter, wound it up, and opened it. Where normally there would be a little figurine spinning around or some other moving parts, there was only a broken stump where something had once been fixed in place. Neither Link nor Navi wanted to ask what had been there. There was something eerie about the tinkly little tune that played—like steps going down, but no matter how far down you climbed, the stairs never ended.

Apparently, the song had no effect in the music box, because Link felt no different by the time it wound down. Navi dutifully lifted the ocarina to her lips and blew. The shriek that exploded was so piercing that Link fell off her shoulder and barely managed to flap his wings hard enough to keep from splattering on the floor. With difficulty, he struggled back up to the counter, behind which the Happy Mask Salesman cowered, hands clamped over his ears.

"What was _that?_ " Link demanded, his ears still ringing.

"It's harder than it looks," Navi protested, looking at the ocarina sheepishly.

"You're holding it wrong," Link said. "For the first note, put your middle finger there—no, _there._ Then you lift that finger—no, keep that one where it is!"

It was so frustrating. If the ocarina wasn't bigger than his whole body now, he could have dashed off the simple tune in a minute. Instead, he had to guide Navi through every second of the song, and it quickly became apparent that she had no musical talent whatsoever.

But finally, Navi managed to get the notes right. An icy chill poured over Link's body, as if a bucket of ice water had been upended over his head. The cold cut down to his bones, and he gasped, opening his mouth to scream...and then it was all over. Something fell to the floor with a wooden clatter, and everything fell silent.

Cautiously, Link opened his eyes again. He looked down at the floor from what seemed a great height. As he looked around, he realized he was sitting on the counter, his legs dangling over the side—and they weren't green. Just to be sure, he felt his body and checked over his shoulder. The wings were gone. On the floor below his feet, the mask lay innocuously, looking just like any of the other ordinary masks in the shop.

"Navi?" he called, hopping down from the counter.

Carefully, a tiny blue figure peeked around the ocarina lying where it had fallen on the floor. She looked up at him, then down at herself, then danced around in a circle with her little tinkling laugh. "I'm a fairy again!" she cheered.

Link breathed a sigh of relief as he retrieved his ocarina and hat from the floor. It felt so good to be human again, for his voice to sound right, to be able to move properly... But most of all, it was a relief to see Navi fluttering around his head, scolding him in a voice that was more relieved than angry.

The Happy Mask Salesman had disappeared—possibly he feared what Link would do to him once he was back in his real body. The Mirror Mask lay on the floor, but Link turned his back on it and walked out into the sunlight. He didn't return to the Happy Mask Shop for a very long time.


	14. Smile

**Author's Note: This may be my clearest demonstration of how I see Link, and may explain my frustration with the way a lot of people portray him, including the creators of the games. Few seem to see things the way I do, but hey—that's what fanfiction is for, right?**

 **Timeline: None**

 **Theme 14: Smile**

Even before the Great Deku Tree had assigned her to be Link's guardian fairy, Navi had known who he was. Of course, every fairy knew all of the Kokiri—they played with them, helped them play pranks on each other, and watched over them all, though not as closely as guardian fairies watched their charges, of course. Though some fairies were given particular responsibilities concerning the individual Kokiri, it was the duty of all fairies to keep watch over the children of the forest.

Besides that, Link always stood out. Later on, Navi thought fondly of that—he was special, a cut above the rest, and he always had been. But at the time, it must have been hard for him to be so different. Because for a little boy who just wanted to be accepted and have friends, being different meant being an outcast.

He was braver than the others, of course, more willing than anyone other than Saria to explore the forest and encounter the creatures who lived there. But he was also more thoughtful, more serious, not frivolous or petty like so many of the others. He was a loner, sitting by himself for long periods of time and thinking while the rest of the Kokiri joined hands and danced in a circle singing a silly song.

But probably the biggest difference was that Link never smiled.

It was only later that she realized this, after she'd known Link for a while. She supposed he probably smiled _sometimes,_ when he was with Saria and far away from the others' pity or mockery. But it was so rare compared to the other Kokiri's near-constant grins that he seemed positively tragic next to them. Sometimes he looked as though he'd just been crying, other times he would gaze at the carefree people around him with a painfully wistful look, like he could only dream of being so happy.

Even before she'd really met him or realized what a wonderful person he was, Navi had felt sorry for him. She'd hoped a guardian fairy would come to him soon, if only so he wouldn't look so morose all the time.

But when she discovered that _she_ was that fairy...everything changed. When she first woke him up and announced that she would be his guardian fairy from then on, a slow smile spread across his face. It was the first time she'd seen him smile, and it warmed her heart to think that she was the one to bring about that change.

The true change, however, didn't become apparent to her until years later, when they returned to Kokiri Forest after Link had grown up. They stepped inside his little tree house, and Link slowly sank onto his bed, looking around at the familiar surroundings that seemed so cramped now that he was grown up. For a moment, looking at Link sitting there, Navi went cold all over. The same lost, lonely look entered his eyes. Being in this place had thrown him back into that dark time in his past.

Btu then he looked up at her and smiled.

The thing about Link's smiles was that they seemed so much brighter than anyone else's, despite (or perhaps because of) their rarity. They were like the sun peeking down through the treetops—sometimes flitting furtively in and out of the leaves, sometimes slowly creeping up over the horizon, dappling the ground in waves. His smile would warm her slowly over time, or all at once in a rush.

"Know what I'm thinking?" he said, smiling one of his slow, fond smiles—the kind that made his eyes sparkle like a waterfall crashing into a pool.

"What?" she asked, fluttering a little closer.

"This is where we met."

Navi smiled too, though she knew he couldn't see it. She knew his smiles so well now because he smiled so much. And Navi was the reason he smiled.


	15. Silence

**Author's Note: Generally, I write from the headcanon that Link talks even though we never actually see any of the words he uses in the game. It just seems to make more sense that way, because the other characters talk as though responding to things he's said. But what if Link was actually mute? What would be different? I decided to explore a little of that here.**

 **Timeline: Adult; right after seven-year time lapse**

 **Theme 15: Silence**

 _for FriedCuccoLady, writer of the most epic unsigned reviews I have ever seen  
_

Navi fluttered excitedly around Link's sleeping form as it descended to the platform where Rauru waited. She had been woken up first, since she would have to be his guide while he was still disoriented after seven years in an enchanted sleep. She understood the necessity in what Rauru had done, but that didn't mean she was thrilled with the way it had turned out. Link had lost so much time. Navi had realized a long time ago that he wasn't actually a Kokiri, so she'd been hoping that she could watch him grow up. She'd never seen someone grow up before. And now he'd gone and grown up while she was sleeping, and she'd missed the whole thing.

Finally, Link's feet touched the platform and his eyes opened. He wavered and nearly fell over before he regained his balance.

"Link!" Navi cried happily, circling around him and taking in his new adult body. He looked so...strong, especially for someone who'd been asleep for seven years. "You're awake!"

When he saw her, he smiled and cupped her in his hands. But before he could pull her up to his cheek for their usual embrace, the smile faltered and he let her go. He turned his hands over and stared at how big they were in their new gauntlets. Then he looked down at the rest of his body, and seemed to realize for the first time how far off the ground he was.

"Watch it!" Navi cried as he wavered again. She flew around behind his head and pressed both of her hands against it, though she couldn't exactly catch him if he fell. "You've been asleep for seven years, Link. You're all grown up now!"

"Yes," Rauru finally said, drawing Link's attention to him for the first time. "The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch. Only one worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can pull it from the Pedestal of Time." He bowed his head solemnly. "However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time. Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years. And now that you are old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time!"

He placidly folded his hands together in the voluminous sleeves of his orange robe. "Well, do you understand your destiny?"

Link opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. At first, Navi thought he was still speechless with shock, but then Link put a hand to his throat and made a horrible breathy sound like he was trying to speak and _couldn't._

Navi whirled around and flew up to Rauru, poking him in the nose. "What did you do?" she demanded. "What happened to his voice?"

But Rauru looked just as confused and shocked as Link did. "I...did not foresee this," he murmured. "Perhaps it was the shock of being pulled into the Sacred Realm...but it seems he can no longer speak."

Link looked up at them, a lost expression on his face that clearly said to Navi, _What am I going to do?_

Immediately, she crossed over to him again and stroked his cheek. "Don't worry, Link. We'll figure this out. Somehow."

* * *

"He can't speak?" Shock broke through the stoic demeanor of this stranger who knew far too much about their quest. Shriek or whatever his name was.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Navi demanded forcefully, flying right up to the guy's face.

Link pinched her wings between thumb and forefinger, pulling her back to give her a look. It was the exact expression he wore whenever he sighed in exasperation, _Navi..._

"Fine, fine," she snapped, tugging out of Link's grip. "I'll behave."

Sheep—or something like that—looked up at Link sadly. "I'm sorry it ended up this way," he said, which was nice of him, but Navi wished he'd lay off the pity. That was the same look the Kokiri used to give Link, which had to make this even harder for him. "I was going to ask if you had any questions, but..."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Navi cried, after glancing at Link's frustrated face. "Just because he can't ask them doesn't mean he doesn't have questions! He wants to know how we'll be able to tell who this Sage person is when we see him!"

Shield—or something—glanced uncertainly at Link, who nodded. Obviously that had been what he'd wanted to ask. Couldn't this masked weirdo see that?

But apparently, he couldn't. He completely ignored the _totally obvious_ looks Link kept giving him, so she had to spell them out for him. What an idiot.

As they finally turned to leave, Shake (or whatever) called after them, "Navi! Take care of our hero. You have become his voice."

At first Navi wasn't sure what the masked stranger meant. But as they explored Hyrule in its new state under Ganondorf's reign, and met their old friends again, she realized that she was the only one who understood what Link wanted to say. She could tell other people exactly what Link would have said, had he been able to, and he could carry on conversations that way.

Navi wasn't sure if her ability to understand him so well stemmed from a magical connection they shared because she was his guardian fairy, or if she had simply spent so long with him day in and day out that she knew him better than anyone else. But either way, it worked for them.

Link had never been particularly talkative, preferring to dwell on things silently and think before he spoke. Still, he had probably talked to Navi more than anyone else, since she was the one who was there through everything. They used to discuss their strategy for fighting monsters, or reminisce about the Kokiri Forest, or confide in each other their hopes and fears for the future.

Oddly, Navi found she didn't really mind the silence. She would have thought it would be lonely, to go day after day without ever hearing Link's voice again. But she filled the space between them with cheerful chatter as always, and then he would look at her and she would just _know._ He never had to say anything to her, because she already knew what he was thinking. Besides, sometimes Link would look at her with such gratitude that she was sure anyone could see. And how could she wish for anything more than that?


	16. Questioning

**Author's Note: Most of the time, Navi is pretty helpful with her hints about monsters' weaknesses and how to fight them. But there are a few monsters she doesn't have any helpful advice for...and a few where you can't even** _ **ask**_ **her for advice. And they're not just harmless Cuccos, either. It would really be useful to get a hint about how to fight them the first time you encounter them. I think you know what I'm talking about. That's right—Moblins.**

 **Timeline: Adult; right before Forest Temple**

 **Theme 16: Questioning**

 _for Bookwrm389, because great minds think alike  
_

Link peeked out from behind his tree again, watching the narrow avenue between the ranks of trees. The pathways through the Sacred Forest Meadow formed an intricate maze, presumably to keep people from wandering in uninvited—never mind that you could hardly even _find_ the meadow unless you knew the Lost Woods as well as Saria did. If they ever actually got to the Forest Temple, it would be a miracle.

To make matters worse, Ganondorf had filled the forest with his minions, not only to harass and subjugate the people of Hyrule, but also to keep Link from doing precisely what he was trying to do. Besides the Deku Babas and Wolfos he'd had to cut his way through to get this far, a new monster he'd never seen before patrolled the maze leading up to the Forest Temple.

He spotted one lumbering down the path right in front of his hiding spot. There was something vaguely porcine about its features—it walked on two legs like a man, and for the most part it just looked like an oversized, overly muscled Hylian. But the face glaring out of the opening of its tightly-fitting helmet had a snout and tusks like a boar, and tiny red piggy eyes that scanned the forest around it for prey. It was armored in leather and chainmail, enormous spikes erupting from its pauldrons. Its huge boots thudded to the ground, making even the leaves on the trees quiver. Link was crouching in the shadows, but he was prepared to bet five hundred rupees that the top of his head would barely even reach its shoulder if he stood on his tiptoes next to it. And it could probably crush his skull single-handedly, even if it _wasn't_ carrying a spear as long as it was tall.

Once the beast had passed out of earshot, Link rounded on Navi. "Okay, how do I fight that thing? What's its weakness?"

"I don't know."

Link blinked, pinched himself, then looked back at her. "What do you mean, you don't _know?_ "

"These creatures didn't exist when the Great Deku Tree was educating me!" Navi hissed. "They're Ganondorf's evil creations! You figure it out!"

"How am _I_ supposed to know?" Link demanded, struggling to keep his voice down. "If you can't tell me how to fight these things, then what's the point of having you around?"

"Oh, you'll pay for _that,_ smarty-pants!"

But before she could do more than raise her tiny fists, the monster was returning, clomping down the path on his patrol, and they had to fall silent. Quietly, Link pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow to the string. He had noticed before that most of the creature's armor was concentrated on its front, leaving its broad back mostly exposed. Apparently, the brute was designed for charging, and not intended to retreat.

Pulling the string back to his ear, Link inched forward. He would have to lean around his tree to get a clear shot at the monster's back. He carefully placed his foot, then leaned forward and—

CRACK! The sound of a twig snapping under his foot split the air as loudly as if he'd stepped on a Bomb Flower.

With a surprised grunt, the monster came to a halt a mere pace away from where Link stood, half in the open and clearly visible from the pathway. The monster began to lumber around to see where the sound had come from, and Link began to panic. If it faced him, his arrow wouldn't be able to penetrate its breastplate...

Quick as a flash, Navi darted out from the cover of the trees and kicked the monster right between the eyes. Forgetting to look for the source of the noise, the monster bellowed in rage and swatted at Navi, who kept fluttering around his face in the opposite direction from Link.

Taking advantage of the diversion, Link shot the monster right between the shoulder blades, and quickly sent two more arrows to follow the first. With a cry of pain and confusion, the enormous creature fell onto its face with an earth-shattering crash.

Link pulled out his sword just in case the brute wasn't dead yet, but it wasn't moving, so Link allowed himself to relax. He glanced rather sheepishly at Navi. "Thanks. And, um...sorry about what I said. You're definitely useful."

"I should think so!" Navi said smugly, resuming her post over his head. "That'll show _you_ for questioning my intelligence!"

They continued to banter good-naturedly until the next guard heard them and came crashing through the trees. Then they both realized that neither of them were doing a great job of demonstrating their intelligence, and they silently called a truce.


	17. Blood

**Author's Note: I wanted to do something more with Dark Link, since he's one of the most fascinating things in Ocarina of Time, if you ask me. Bear with me; this** _ **does**_ **indirectly have something to do with Link and Navi! Just wanted to explore some of this doppelganger's thoughts.**

 **Timeline: None**

 **Theme 17: Blood**

When I awake, the first thing I know is pain. When others awake, I imagine they must think of their dreams, or at least they know who and where they are. Not I. For I am nowhere, and no one.

There was a time when I was not, and a part of me longs for that time. How easy it was, to be formless, without even the awareness that I exist. Then, I did not know what I lacked. I did not know of the cavernous hole that runs through my very being.

I did not know what it means to be an absence.

For I am Dark Link. _Not_ -Link. I have no identity except to be everything that _he_ is not. Darkness has no presence, no force, no power of its own. It is but the absence of light.

Lord Ganon formed me. He took the amorphous shadows of the realm that dwells between dream and waking, between life and death, between the light and the dark. He took the stuff I am made of, and with secret magics gave me form. I would have faded back into the void from whence he dragged me, had he not at the crucial moment given me the one thing that would tie me to reality, and let me keep this form.

He gave me blood. Link's blood.

Ah, the double-edged blessing that is also a curse. For without his blood, I could not have even this semblance of life...yet with his blood, I am forced to forever remain nothing but his shadow. An echo of the _real_ man, yet nothing of my own. Without him, I would be nothing at all.

Why is it that _he_ has everything that is good and real and lovely, and _I_ am left out in the darkness? He is the hero, so everyone loves him. Recognition and admiration follow him everywhere he goes, yet all who see _me_ shun me and fear me. He has the love of a beautiful princess. He has a sword of destiny. He has the Triforce of Courage. Everyone bends over backwards to help him, because he holds the fate of the world in his hands.

But what do I have? Nothing. Nothing but the dregs he deigns to drop.

And the worst part of all? The one thing that brings me the most pain, from the moment I wake to the moment I close my eyes, is the knowledge that I cannot kill him. The moment that I spill his blood, that is the same moment it will cease to hold my form together. I will unravel into threads of shadow, and I will once again be nothing. More nothing than I already am.

When Link opens his eyes, does he know this agony? Does he long for the very thing that will spell his doom? Does he even know the _meaning_ of the word _suffering?_

I have watched him from the shadows, and I know he does not. He laughs with his _friends,_ he lays his head down to sleep peacefully at night, and he moves through life with a purpose that fills his days with meaning. The times he feels pain are the few moments that I know peace, but his pain is so _righteous._ So _undeserved._ He knows _nothing_ of what I suffer daily!

And always at his side is that blasted _fairy._ A friend, a companion, a helpmeet. She is always there, so he never knows what it is to be alone. How could I ever touch him, no matter what I do, if _she_ is there? She'll warn him I am coming, advise him how to resist me, and even if I hurt him, _she_ will be there to comfort him!

But do I have any of that? Did Lord Ganon consider _that_ when he made me? Does Link ever stop to realize that _not everyone has someone to help at all times?_

One day, I will grab that accursed fairy and I will _crush_ her in my fist. And Link will be watching, and he will _weep_ and _scream_ and _beg_ me to kill him too, because how could he continue to live with so much pain? But I will refuse, I will _force_ him to keep living, and at last he will _know_ what I suffer! And I will take his friends, take his loved ones and _rip_ their hearts out before his eyes with my _bare hands!_

And only then—only when his heart is so full of pain that it can hold no more—will I kill him.


	18. Rainbow

**Author's Note: Have you ever noticed how the six talismans you have to collect from the Sages are the six colors of the rainbow? You just collect them in a different order, so perhaps it isn't immediately obvious. I decided to do something a little experimental in terms of style with this one, and I kind of like the effect. I had to stretch a bit for Rauru's talisman, since there isn't a Light Temple and you don't even have to work to get it. I hope I managed to make it distinct enough from the Shadow Temple, at least.**

 **Timeline: Adult; the five temples**

 **Theme 18: Rainbow**

Sweat pours from his brow. His eyes itch and burn as though the flames surrounding him have crawled under his skin, devouring him from the inside out. Smoke and sulfurous fumes choke his throat, making it hard to breathe. The red tunic keeps the intense heat from causing him to burst into flames as he trots across barely-congealed magma, but he can still feel blisters forming on the soles of his feet. Even the leather-covered hilt of his sword is so hot in his hand that it feels like holding a red-hot brand. He stumbles against the stone wall, gasping for breath, but even the stones seem to waver in the shimmering waves of intense heat.

"Here," she says, suddenly hovering before his face, holding the water flask to his lips. The water inside is tepid, but it is wet, and it soothes the dry, raspy flesh of his throat. She flutters in front of him, her tiny wings beating the air and wafting the slightest draft of air over his face. It's not enough to give him much relief, but with it comes the faint smell of the forest.

He stands straight again.

* * *

At last, the huge block of stone slides into place. He lets out a sigh of relief and turns to move further down the passage...only to let out a moan and slump against the wall as he sees another block with the forbidding Gerudo symbol etched into its dark surface. He looks down at his hands, and sees that his fingers are trembling. Even with the magically-strengthened silver plates on his gauntlets, his palms sting and his fingers are scratched and bloody. How many stones has he pushed and lifted in this goddess-forsaken temple? His arms shake and his shoulders ache as he even thinks about throwing his strength at another one.

"You've got this," she says in his ear. Her tiny hands stroke up and down the tight muscles of his shoulders. She doesn't have the strength to massage the aches away, but somehow her touch leaves him feeling stronger. Maybe she's pressing a few flecks of fairy magic into his muscles as she rubs them.

He stretches, draws a deep breath, and places his palms flat against the next stone block.

* * *

He sits on the steps leading up to the Temple of Time, shivering in the cold wind howling between broken, empty shells of houses and shops. Once, this was a place of light and happiness, comfort and peaceful friendship. But now, Ganondorf has laid waste to all of that. Every tree is barren, every blade of grass is dead, every window is shattered and every door smashed to splinters. Clouds cover the sun, and the streets are full of the stench of death and fear. Horrid undead creatures stalk the desolate streets, ready to devour every shred of life they encounter. The fear seems to sink into his chest, making it hard to breathe and impossible to get to his feet and continue.

"Just remember," she says, fluttering up to his face and filling his eyes with the glow of her body. "Somewhere, beyond all those clouds, the sun is still shining." The blue light that surrounds her is faint, and does little to dispel the thick darkness surrounding them, but it's all he can see.

He breathes in, rises to his feet, and faces the shadows.

* * *

He pulls himself up the last foot and drags himself over the railing of the small balcony. Sinking down onto the stones, he lies flat on his back and stares up at the sky. Except that he can't see the sky, because the branches of the enormous trees encasing this temple are so tangled that only thin shreds of illumination filter through, even to this courtyard. He holds his hands up to his face and stares at them—bloody and blistered from the long climb up the wall using thorny vines and occasionally swinging about to avoid Skulltulas. His hands are too big. Everything is wrong, smaller and stranger than it should be when he had left this forest such a short time ago. Saria should be here at his side. Mido should tease him. He should be practicing with his slingshot, not fighting Deku Babas taller than his whole treehouse.

"Good idea," she says, landing lightly on his chest. "Just take a short break before you move on. I'll keep watch and make sure no Keese dive-bomb you when you aren't looking." She stands on his chest, two inches tall and fragile as a flower petal, intimidating to no one. But she stands directly over his heart.

He closes his eyes, safe in the knowledge that he is not alone.

* * *

He tugs the breathing cloth down to blow on his fingers, which are starting to turn an ugly purple color from the cold. The outfit the Zora gave him is enchanted to keep the warmth of his body in, but it doesn't seem to help his extremities much. The chill breeze blowing through the temple stings against his wet cheeks and forehead, making him wince. He stamps his feet to get the feeling back in his toes. He knows he is merely stalling for time, and he stares glumly at the frigid water filling the room below the alcove he stands in. It's no use to try to get warm when the only way forward requires him to plunge back into the water.

"You've got to keep moving," she says, zipping out from under his hat and rubbing the pointed tips of his ears, which are as cold as ice. "If you keep going, you'll be able to stay warm." Her rubbing hands don't create enough friction to warm his ears up, but her voice seeps all the way through him.

He tightens the breathing cloth around his nose and mouth, and plunges once more into the icy depths.

* * *

He is tired of shadows. He is tired of darkness, tired of puzzles, tired of _temples._ He hates this place, with walls that aren't walls and doors that aren't doors. Monsters leap at him from nowhere and the very stones beneath his feet seem to shift, ready to trip him up or open into a deadly pit with sharp spikes at the bottom. The few torches in this place are far between and cast a cold, greenish light on their surroundings, doing little to illuminate the shadows and nothing to lighten his heavy heart. The Lens of Truth allows him to see a little farther in the dark, but it tints everything faintly red, making it seem like the walls drip blood. And finally, he comes to a point where he can't move on, where the dread of the place seems to hold his feet still. There is no way out. Maybe it would be best to just lie down and let his bones join the rest of the foul creatures in this place...

"Look! It's that way!" she says, her cheerful voice tearing through the heavy silence around them. She splits the shadows before his eyes like a curtain, pointing a single tiny finger straight and sure ahead of them. He stares at her, at her blue glow that only seems to pulse brighter in the face of such darkness. Suddenly, he realizes how beautiful she is—the tiny prisms of her wings casting a rainbow dancing across his eyelashes, reminding him of the many colors of the world above.

He steps forward and follows her light.


	19. Grey

**Author's Note: Posting this now because I will be gone next week (going to Japan! *muffled squealing*). The regular posting schedule will resume on the 28th. I guess this is kind of inspired by my own white hairs? XD I've only got a few, and I blame them entirely on the stresses of school. What with all the time Navi spends up there, I think she'd probably be the first to notice something like that in Link.**

 **Timeline: Adult; after Forest Temple**

 **Theme 19: Grey**

Navi liked sitting on top of Link's head, in the warmth and darkness under his hat. This was a habit that sometimes annoyed Link, but he had long ago given up on trying to shake her out. It was surprisingly cozy to snuggle up in a nest of golden hair, pull the green hat down like a fairy-sized tent, and drift off to sleep or just rest her wings for a while.

It had taken her a little while to get used to it, but Navi had grown to love the smell of Link's hair. Especially when it was clean—not greasy and smelly with sweat, nor still wet and reeking with the soap he'd used to wash it. There was a smell to it that belonged only to Link—a warm scent as familiar as pine needles or maple sap or acorns, and as comforting as sun-warmed grass or the wind swirling through fallen leaves on the ground. The rest of Link smelled like that too—again, when he wasn't dripping with sweat, which was far too often considering the life he led—but there was something particularly strong about his hair smell.

Most likely, the other fairies wouldn't understand why she liked it so much, but she'd never bothered to ask anyone. This was something she held close to her chest, like a special secret that was all hers. She hadn't even mentioned it to Link. Somehow, it felt _too_ personal even for them to talk about.

So she was glad that, even after Link grew up and had to get a whole new wardrobe for his adult-sized body, he still wore a hat. She could still snuggle under it while they slept, and she could use it for shelter from the rain and the sun. Naturally, she popped out during battle or when they needed two sets of eyes as they made their way through one temple after another. But it was nice to think that at least _some_ things were never going to change about her boy.

The shock came one night as she was settling down in the tufts of his hair. He was already asleep, rolled up in his blanket among the roots of a tree at the edge of the forest. Epona cropped the grass lazily a short distance away, and a small fire crackled at Link's feet, keeping the monsters of the night at bay. They all kept one ear cocked for the sounds of something creeping up on them, but they weren't particularly worried about an attack. They had rid the forest of the evil corrupting it, so this was currently the safest place in Hyrule.

As she was fluffing up a tuft of Link's hair to make a good pillow, Navi noticed something amiss in his golden tresses. At first she thought it must be a trick of the light, a result of the blue tinge her glow cast on the dark cavern under his hat. But as she pressed down the lock of hair with her tiny hands and inspected it more closely, she realized that she wasn't just seeing things.

Link's hair was turning grey.

It wasn't drastic—just a few silver hairs in this one spot on his scalp, like needles in the haystack of his blond head. But as she curled her tiny fingers around those hairs that seemed a little coarser than the rest, her heart sank to her toes. It made sense that he would be going grey; he pushed himself as hard as he could, and every moment he rested physically, he usually spent worrying about someone else. The responsibility shoved unceremoniously on his shoulders was far too much for a seventeen-year-old boy to bear alone.

But this meant that he really was growing up. Navi lay down on Link's scalp, resting her cheek on her arm and stroking the greying tuft of hair. All too soon, Link would move from this awkward stage of not knowing what to do with his body, and become a fully grown, fully confident man. He would grow older, and eventually his strength would flag. His reflexes would slow down, his joints would grow stiff, his muscles would go slack. The rest of his hair would join these first few strands, until eventually his whole head would be grey, and then white.

One day, Link would be old. One day, Link would die.

As a fairy, Navi knew she could live for many years. Fairies were more or less immortal if their power was not consumed, and most guardian fairies didn't have to worry about losing their charges because the Kokiri never aged. Navi had never prepared for the eventuality of parting from her boy.

What would she do without him? What purpose could she possibly find in this world once Link was gone? Would she simply wander about Hyrule, as if searching for something she knew she would never find? Or would she lose all will to continue, and fade away into tiny shards of magic that sank back into the forest floor?

Burying her face in the thick smell of Link's hair, Navi closed her eyes. She would just have to savor every moment she could share with Link while there was still time. She would always stay with him, because it didn't matter how old he became. He would still be her boy.


	20. Fortitude

**Author's Note: ...Well, this one got away from me a bit. I was stumped on this for the longest time, because while Link definitely exhibits a lot of fortitude, how was I supposed to pick a way to** _ **show**_ **that? At first I was reluctant to go the Gerudo route, because I have another Gerudo chapter planned for later, but finally I decided I could make this one different enough. Then I made it about torture, and anyone who's familiar with my writing knows that it's hard to drag me away from that subject matter XD I had too much fun with this, as I always do, and I struggled to still keep it about Navi because I started getting too many ideas. I'll probably have to explore this AU a bit in future, just to flesh out this idea more. I must admit to a good deal of inspiration from Rose Zemlya's amazing fics (especially** _ **The Return,**_ **where she introduces her ideas about Gerudo culture). Really wish she'd finish** _ **Reconciliation,**_ **but all the same I'm grateful for the fresh worldbuilding ideas she introduced me to. I tried really hard not to just copy her version of the Gerudo XD**

 **Timeline: Adult; AU from Gerudo Fortress**

 **Theme 20: Fortitude**

Link had often heard it said that the Gerudo were masters of torture. A hard, unforgiving people whose ancestors had been banished to a desert as harsh and unforgiving as they were, they had little mercy to spare for intruders. So when Link tried to sneak into their fortress on his way to the Spirit Temple, he was able to judge the veracity of their reputation firsthand.

The Gerudo's understanding and manipulation of pain was exquisite. They favored what they called _the desert fox of nine tails,_ a braided cord of leather ending in nine flailing strips, at the end of which were tied tiny razor-sharp hooks. When the torture-master, clothed and veiled in blood-red, swung the whip with a practiced flick of her wrist, those little hooks became embedded in the flesh of Link's back, and then _ripped_ free when she drew back for the next swing.

Link hung in the middle of a dark stone cell, held in place by chains shackled to his wrists that held him high enough he could only barely touch his bare toes to the floor. The shackles bit into his wrists, adding their own constant discomfort to the intermittent agony of the beatings. Every time he passed out from the pain, they would splash water on his face to wake him up, then force-feed him some red potion. But as soon as the magic knitted the skin of his back together again, they would resume their beatings. The lashes tearing open newly-healed flesh hurt even more than they had at first.

They weren't pressing him for information, which was always what Link had assumed torture was for. No, it seemed they were merely trying to break him. Maybe it was a matter of pride, trying to uphold their fearsome reputation. Or maybe this strange tribe of female warriors was just made up entirely of sadists. But whatever the case may be, Link knew he couldn't let them break him. They had made it clear that all he had to do was beg for mercy, and they would chop his head off so he would feel no more pain. And it was so tempting...but what would happen to Hyrule then? How could he give up on Zelda when he had come so close?

They had taken all of his clothing and possessions away, of course. Navi had tried to dodge them and fly away for help, but a lithe young woman had bounded atop a table and caught her in a jar. He hadn't seen her since, and it was the lack of her warm glow and encouraging voice that filled him with the most fear. He couldn't tell anymore how much time had passed. Days, weeks? ...Years?

At least he wasn't worried about Epona. Though she would probably never find her way back to Lon Lon Ranch where she belonged, the Gerudo _did_ take good care of their horses. She would be treated well here, even if no one could tame her wild spirit. As horribly as they treated the humans that crossed them, they would never beat a horse. It was odd and completely backwards, but it gave Link a certain amount of peace.

But Navi? They probably didn't see her as much more than a potion—energy to bottle up and stick on a shelf, then consume when it was needed. He didn't like to think about what they'd done to her, or how worried she must be, how powerless to help him.

And so he hovered in a web of pain, unable to give in but unable to escape.

Finally, during one of the brief respites while they waited for the potion to do its work, something broke up the painful monotony. The door to the little cell creaked open, and another Gerudo began whispering with Blood-Red (as he had taken to calling the torture-master in his head). He was strung up with his back facing the door, so he couldn't see them, but he could hear the faint whispers. They sounded...uncertain. Almost worried. The ghost of a smile touched his lips as he wondered if they were surprised at his fortitude. It was probably rare for someone to hold out this long without breaking. That just gave Link an even stronger resolve to hold out.

After a few more whispers back and forth, Blood-Red stalked around in front of him. He curled his hands around the chains holding him up and swallowed. Was she going to start whipping him from the front now? The desert fox of nine tails could easily take out an eye.

But Blood-Red merely glared at him over her large nose and said, "You have shown great endurance for a soft-skinned Hylian. You are to be released into the Gerudo Training Grounds. If you can prove yourself worthy...well. We shall see."

He blinked in surprise. Training grounds...released...wait. They were going to set him _free?_

His relief must have shown on his face, because Blood-Red sneered, "Don't relax too soon. You will most likely die in the Training Grounds regardless." Pulling out a large iron key, she began to unlock the shackles around his wrists. "Your effects will be returned to you inside the Training Grounds."

"What about Navi?" he asked as the shackle fell from his left wrist and he was finally able to plant his feet flat on the floor. "Where is she?"

"Your fairy?" Blood-Red paused, letting her hand fall from the other shackle and watching him carefully. "We had no use for it, and it was very annoying. We disposed of it."

Everything went blank. All thought ceased, all emotions died. There was nothing but a numbness creeping up his limbs, and a buzzing in his ears. Navi, dead. Gone. Forever.

Link didn't realize he was angry until he heard the roar that ripped out of his throat. Everything looked red in the pulses of his pounding heart as he launched himself at Blood-Red. Before she could move back out of his reach, he grabbed her red ponytail and yanked her back towards him, then clobbered her in the face with his shackled wrist. While she was reeling and sputtering through a bloody nose, he ripped free the leather thong holding her hair in place. Her fiery locks spilled everywhere, but he ignored her hair and wrapped the leather strap around her neck. He pulled, one end in his teeth and one in his free hand, while she choked and scrabbled at her neck helplessly.

He could see the blood and tears of pain streaming down her face, but it wasn't enough. No amount of pain in another person could fix the gaping hole of agony that had opened in his chest. Such a small creature, but her death had left such a huge wound in his heart. When he swallowed, he could taste salt from the tears dripping off his nose to his teeth clenched around the leather.

"Peace, Hylian. Let Binoora go."

Link looked up in surprise and saw a second Gerudo standing in the doorway, as if she'd been silently watching the entire time. Her loose trousers were white, and she wore a white vest over the tight top all Gerudo sported. Her bright red hair, instead of being pulled back in a ponytail like all the other Gerudo he'd seen, was cut short, hanging about her shoulders. But he barely even noticed these details at first, because she held in her hands a jar with a blue fairy fluttering around inside.

"Navi?"

Of course, as soon as he spoke, the leather slipped out of his mouth, and Blood-Red (Binoora?) whirled away from his grasp. She collapsed onto hands and knees, coughing and gasping. But Link ignored her and rushed toward Navi. The arm still chained to the ceiling yanked him back, but he strained, reaching out with his other hand. "Navi!"

He would have kept pulling until he dislocated his shoulder, but thankfully the white Gerudo pulled the lid off the jar and Navi zipped over to him. She fluttered up to his face, showering him with tiny, feather-soft caresses. He held her there with his free hand, unable to stop the tears pouring down his face. "Navi," was all he could say. "Navi, Navi, Navi..."

"It's okay," she whispered, sounding tearful herself. "We're both okay."

The white Gerudo clicked her fingers, and two purple-clad warriors hurried into the room. They hauled Binoora to her feet and half-led, half-dragged her out. She looked over the bloody hand pinching her nose closed just long enough to throw Link a dirty look.

When the white Gerudo began to approach, Link flinched back, but she only leaned down to pick up the key Binoora had dropped. As she reached up to free Link's other hand, she said, "I hope you appreciate how unprecedented this is, Hylian. I have heard tales of such things occurring in my grandmother's time, but no one yet living remembers it. Understand that we do not make this decision lightly. But we are pressed for time, and so cannot do things the proper way."

Link cradled his torn, swollen wrists, trying to chafe some feeling back into them without breaking the tender skin. "What are you talking about?"

The Gerudo looked up at him—he was a head taller than her—and gave him a small smile. "You have withstood not only physical pain, but also emotional torment. We have done everything we could to break you down... _and you would not relent._ You have been resisting us from the moment you set foot in our fortress." She bowed so low she almost bent double. "It would be my honor to call you Gerudo."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Link remembered the Great Deku Tree telling him about the Gerudo, explaining that it was an ancient word meaning 'the strong.' he certainly didn't _feel_ particularly strong right now, his nose running and sweat sliding down his bare back, his wrists aching and his whole body trembling from exertion and the rush of emotions.

The white Gerudo straightened, then beckoned him to follow her out of the cell. "We have not had an honorary Gerudo in a long time, much less a man!" she said, some of her austere dignity dissolving into girlish glee. "And it has been a long time since a man has walked these halls."

Link was becoming acutely aware of this, as they passed through several hallways lined with gawking Gerudo women in purple. He hoped they were simply surprised to see a prisoner walk free, but had a sneaky suspicion their eyes were drawn to his bare chest, and the firm muscles glistening with sweat. Couldn't they have given him a tunic first?

"What about Ganondorf?" he muttered, more to take his mind off their scrutiny than anything else. "He's Gerudo, isn't he? And won't he mind that you're letting me go free?"

"Shut up, idiot!" Navi hissed in his ear.

His guide spat to one side as they entered what seemed to be a bedchamber. An enormous bedstead, piled high with pillows and tasseled cushions and curtained in black, filled half of the room. All of the furniture, in fact, seemed much larger than necessary, as if hoping to intimidate merely by the size and number of drawers in the wardrobe.

"Ganondorf is not Gerudo," the white Gerudo said. "He has betrayed his own people. His _family._ " She turned to face him again. "I am Ganeeba. Leader of the Gerudo, now that he has forsaken the land of his mothers and taken Hyrule for his own. I am his daughter."

Before he could think about the prudence of such a response, Link recoiled in disgust. "He has _children?_ "

"I do not blame you for knowing little of our ways," Ganeeba said, crossing to the wardrobe and pulling out a black robe shimmering with golden embroidery. As she threw it around his shoulders and helped him cinch the loose cloth tight around his waist, she explained, "Our king is given the best of everything. Anything he asks for, we must provide. Naturally, you can imagine that some of his requests lead to...consequences. I am one of them."

"You mean..."

"Ganondorf has lain with most of the older women in the fortress," Ganeeba said bluntly. "Some of the younger ones, too, before he left seven years ago."

"Um...oh." Link wished with all his might that he'd never asked.

"Of course, we can arrange the same for you, Your Majesty."

"No, no, that won't be... Wait, _what?_ "

Navi fluttered up close to Ganeeba's face. "What did you just call him?"

Ganeeba glanced back and forth between the two of them, as if surprised at their confusion. "I told you that we have accepted you as Gerudo, yes? There can only be one male Gerudo at any one time. Every hundred years, a boy is born to one of us, and he becomes the king of the Gerudo. Ganondorf was that boy, but we have renounced him as our king and as Gerudo, because he betrayed the honor of his people. _You_ are our king now, Link."

She dropped to her knees and bent forward till her forehead touched the floor, her hands outstretched in his direction with palms upturned as if in supplication. Link gaped for a moment, then hurried to pull her back to her feet. "Please get up. I...I don't think I'm a good choice for king, Ganeeba. I don't know anything about the Gerudo! And...And I have a quest that I need to finish anyway."

Ganeeba looked up at him with wide, vulnerable amber eyes that made him wonder how old she actually was. "But the goddess has clearly chosen you! Will you...abandon us too?"

Link didn't know which goddess she was talking about, but he could almost _feel_ the tug of destiny as he looked into her pleading eyes. He had felt the same thing when he had looked through the window and seen Ganondorf for the first time. Somehow, he had known deep in his heart that he was _meant_ to fight that evil man. Maybe this was just another way to fulfill that destiny.

He suddenly remembered something Zelda had once said. "You know...a king shouldn't just get all the best in the land. The king's duty is to sacrifice for his people. He should be willing to give up more than anyone else. He should lay down his life for his people, because he's nothing without them. So really...the greatest king is the greatest servant. If I really am your king..." Navi gave a startled twitch of her wings that probably meant he would get a lecture pretty soon. "You have to let me leave. The best thing I can do for your people is to stop Ganondorf, and to do that I need to get to the Spirit Temple."

Ganeeba looked at him with an expression uncomfortably close to awe. "Truly, the words of the king _are_ prophetic!" she said. "The witches have been spotted in the desert again. The reason we were so desperate to find a new king was that we feared they would make an attack on the fortress. We have been making preparations, of course, but...we need guidance." She hung her head. " _I_ need guidance. I am no Nabooru."

"Nabooru?"

Ganeeba looked up again with a wistful smile. "Nabooru was our leader, and a great and wise one she was...until she went alone to the Spirit Temple to seek answers from the goddess. She has been lost to us for seven years."

The beginnings of one of Link's hunches tickled at the back of his mind. He had learned by now not to assume that anything was a coincidence, especially not when it had happened precisely at the time everything had changed for the worst. "I will go to the Spirit Temple and f ind her. I have a feeling Nabooru may be the key to all this."

Ganeeba nodded, coming to attention. "Very well. I shall rally the warriors and send our best fighters—"

"No," Link said quickly, before she could get too carried away. "You can send an escort with me to get through the desert if you want, but I need to enter the temple alone."

"The witches are very powerful, Your Majesty," Ganeeba said doubtfully. "And there are many other perils in the temple as well."

Link looked over at Navi, silently begging for help. How could he explain that he was more than capable of handling himself in the Spirit Temple, and that he'd already made it through four temples before this? He would be more worried for the Gerudo's safety if he let them accompany him, but he didn't want to bruise Ganeeba's pride by saying so.

Thankfully, Navi saved him. "Do you really think he needs any help? He just endured a week of nonstop Gerudo torture! Which I notice he's not been _complaining_ about," she added, giving Link a pointed look.

Ganeeba paled, as if afraid Link would try to get revenge for their treatment of him, but Link quickly grinned to put them both at their ease. "Don't worry. That was just a demonstration of my hidden strength. I can do anything as long as I've got Navi with me."

He had a feeling Navi was rolling her eyes at him, but Ganeeba transferred her look of wonder to the fairy instead. She was obviously remembering how Link had nearly killed Binoora when he thought they'd killed Navi. She actually looked a little frightened of her.

Well. Credit where credit was due.


	21. Vacation

**Author's Note: Ugh, why do they give me** _ **cheerful, carefree**_ **prompts? Don't they know I'm only halfway decent when I'm writing tear-filled torturefests full of despair and death? XD I tried, I really did. Sorry this one's a bit lackluster.**

 **Timeline: Child; before Jabu-Jabu's Belly**

 **Theme 21: Vacation**

"And just _what_ do you think you're doing?" Navi demanded, tiny hands on tiny hips.

"Fishing," Link said, stubbornly throwing his line back in the water.

"Why are you _fishing_ when we should be pestering the Zora King about the third Spiritual Stone?" Navi asked, voice shrill with irritation.

"Aw, c'mon, Navi!" Link whined, twitching the line as he tried to tempt a wary-looking fish. "We just finished with Dodongo's Cavern—that was _hard!_ We deserve a bit of a vacation."

"I don't think _Ganondorf_ is taking a vacation," Navi pointed out. "And what if he gets to the Zora Sapphire before we can, huh? What if he gets his hands on the Triforce because you're sitting here being lazy?"

A slight twinge of guilt marred the satisfaction of taking a break. She was right, of course. The fate of everyone in Hyrule rested on his shoulders, and if he didn't get to the Triforce first... But this wouldn't take long. He just needed to catch a single fish, and then he'd go back to Zora's Domain and proceed with his quest.

"You just need to lighten up, Navi," he said, pushing his worries aside. He couldn't exactly relax if he was worrying anyway. "Slow down and smell the roses."

"I'll stop and smell the roses when Hyrule is safe! And furthermore—"

Link pinched her fluttering wings between thumb and forefinger, plucking her right out of the air. "You keep buzzing around my head like an annoying fly," he mused with a smirk as she struggled in vain, and dangled her over the water. "Hmm, now what kind of creatures like flies? Oh, I know—"

As if on cue, an enormous fish leapt out of the water in a glistening silver arc and swallowed Navi whole.

"Navi!" Link yelped, dropping his pole and dashing after the fish, trying to scoop it up again. It kept slipping through his fingers, and it was too big to catch in one of his jars. Finally he got the idea to scoop it up in his hat and dump it on dry land. As it flopped around, gasping for air, Navi popped out of its gaping mouth. Her wings looked a little bedraggled, but she was otherwise none the worse for the wear.

As she staggered away from the flopping monstrosity, Navi spluttered, "Well, you got your stupid _fish._ Happy now?"

"Yes," Link said meekly, retrieving his fishing pole. "Okay. Let's go to Zora's Domain now."

He had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't be getting another vacation anytime soon.


	22. Mother Nature

**Author's Note: Ugh, this one had me stumped** _ **forever.**_ **The main problem I kept running into is that Hyrule doesn't** _ **have**_ **a "Mother Nature" figure, because that comes from Greek mythology. I mean, I guess there's Farore, but that seems like pushing it a little if you ask me. And what would Farore have to do with this relationship anyway? But after much tearing of the hair, and heaving of gusty sighs, I eventually managed to look at this sideways enough that I thought of a different angle I could take with this. I've been wanting to explore Navi's thoughts on Zelda for a while anyway. You can see this as part of the AU I explored in "Insanity," or just another AU after the game where Navi's still around and Link becomes a knight after defeating Ganondorf.**

 **Timeline: Adult; post-game AU**

 **Theme 22: Mother Nature**

When Navi first realized that Link was in love with Zelda, she wasn't sure how she felt. On the one hand, it made perfect sense—he'd respected her a great deal since they were children, commented numerous times on how pretty she was, and then he'd gone and grown up, and just like the Great Deku Tree had warned her, had suddenly decided girls were much more interesting than they used to be.

All things considered, Zelda really wasn't that bad of a choice. Link could have fallen in love with many sillier girls; Navi shuddered to think what life would be like if he'd returned Princess Ruto's affections. At least Zelda was smart, and calm, and kind. She laughed when it was warranted, but not all the time like some of the frilly nobleman's daughters in Castle Town. And she was powerful and rich, which meant she could keep Link fed and protected—something Navi worried about sometimes. Link could get so focused on a task he routinely forgot about his own well-being.

Navi supposed the main problem she had was with Link falling in love at _all._ Link was _her_ boy, so why did Zelda think she could just waltz in and take him away? Link was her responsibility, no one else's!

Besides...once Link fell in love and got married, he wouldn't need _her_ anymore. She'd gotten too used to watching over him and giving him advice along the way. What would she do with herself once he had a wife rather than a guardian fairy? She could go back to Kokiri Forest...but even if she became another Kokiri's guardian fairy, she knew there would never be another Link.

And it felt like losing him, every time he stole into Zelda's private courtyard to meet with her in secret—to talk with her, to kiss her, to play songs that brought tears to Zelda's eyes. At first, Navi had hidden in the bushes to watch, curious to see what they were up to that Link said was so private. But soon, Navi drifted sadly away when Link went to these secret meetings. She would only be in the way when they were so totally focused on each other.

It was when Link finally asked Zelda to marry him that Navi realized how selfish she was being. Link talked to Navi about his intentions all the way back to the castle after a diplomatic mission to the Gerudo. Navi tried to sound supportive, when secretly she was hoping it wouldn't work out. When Link returned that night, ashen-faced and almost in tears, Navi was ashamed at how her heart swelled with relief. How could she be happy about something that made Link distraught?

"She said no," Link said, dropping heavily onto his bed. As a knight of Hyrule, Link now had small but adequate quarters of his own in the castle.

Navi mentally kicked herself and focused on Link's distress rather than her own confused feelings. "No?" she said, fluttering over and settling on Link's knee. "But...she loves you. _I_ know she does, and I'm a fairy!"

Link pulled off his hat and ruffled his hair. "She loves me," he agreed, still sounding dejected. "But she says now is a bad time. The council still sees her largely as a figurehead, and if they don't respect her authority in her own right, they won't accept it at all once she marries. And if she married a commoner of unknown parentage like me...they could argue that she has no right to be queen anymore. Because she would be under _my_ authority."

Human politics were far too complicated, in Navi's opinion. "She should just tell them to get over themselves and shut up," she grumbled. " _Obviously_ she has all the authority and strength to be a good queen, regardless of _who_ she marries!"

Link cracked a smile. "We should put _you_ on the council, shake things up. Those stuffy old men wouldn't know what hit them."

With a sigh, he flopped onto his back, jostling Navi a little with the movement. "She didn't say it would never happen," he said quietly. "But not yet. Not for a long while. I need to be well received by the people, and she needs to prove there's more to her than just her royal blood."

"That might take a long time," Navi said, eyeing him closely. "I've seen those silly stuffed shirts waffling back and forth; I know how slowly they change their minds. Are you prepared to wait that long?"

Link smiled wistfully at the ceiling. "Zelda is worth the wait. I would wait for her if it took a thousand years."

Navi gazed at her boy, practically glowing with all the love in his heart. The Great Deku Tree had tried to explain human love to her many times, but nothing he had said made much sense to her until now. She'd gotten so caught up in trying to understand the mechanics and motivations, the drives and desires, that she had forgotten about love itself. Love, no matter the kind, was the same at its root. If Rauru had put Link into an enchanted sleep but forced Navi to wait seven years, she would have waited for him. No matter how long or tedious, it would have been worth it as soon as he opened his eyes.

Because when you loved someone, it didn't matter how much it hurt. You wanted their happiness first.

Navi softly alighted on Link's chest. She pushed aside the last threads of resentment she held for Zelda and said, "You deserve her, Link. You deserve to be that happy."

* * *

The day came at last when Link and Zelda finally decided they could marry each other. After Link had saved the wife and children of Zelda's main detractor on the council, single-handedly fighting off a marauding band of Moblins and nearly dying in the process...well, no one seemed to have a problem with the thought of him taking the throne anymore. Rumors spread that Link's unknown mother was actually a nobleman's daughter. Debates arose among the councilmen about the wording of the succession laws, and whether 'noble blood' could be earned through feats of valor. Long-winded discussions took place that eventually led to the conclusion that a monarch's consort could not lower the monarch's authority when that authority was given to the royal family by Nayru herself.

Navi rolled her eyes at all the roundabout ways the councilmen found to make themselves feel better about changing their minds to fit public opinion. But at least they began to see reason, and offered enthusiastic congratulations when Queen Zelda announced her betrothal to Sir Link.

The wedding was all anyone would talk about for three months before it actually happened. Navi thought they should just hurry up and get it over with, but it seemed there were a lot of preparations to be made and customs and rituals to consider before they could actually hold the ceremony. She stayed as busy as everyone else, running messages and fiercely managing Link's time commitments so he could sleep and eat. There was so much going on that she barely had a moment to stop and reflect until the ceremony was already underway.

As she watched the high priest of the Temple of Time complete the ritual to seal their union, Navi felt a terrible emptiness open inside her. She wasn't jealous of Zelda anymore—how could she be, when her smile made Link shine with joy?—but she did feel the ache of separation. Zelda would be the first one Link looked to now. For so long, Navi had been Link's closest confidante, his constant support.

Not anymore.

After the wedding ceremony, there was Link's coronation, and then a ten-course feast, and then dancing. Navi stayed up in the rafters for most of it, where she could watch it all. A whole flock of fairies showed up to see what the fuss was about, but they mostly fluttered around in the crowd, causing good-natured mischief and dancing their own version of the stately patterns proceeding across the floor. Navi stayed separate from them, unable to participate in their light-hearted frivolity. She was happy for Link, but she couldn't be happy for herself.

A few times throughout the day, she thought she saw Link searching the crowds for her, but he had Zelda to occupy him, so she left him alone. She kept to herself as the party slowly wound down and the king and queen disappeared to their chambers.

It wasn't until the next morning that she saw Link again. She had spent a restless night in the gardens, and now sat morosely kicking her feet in one of the tinkling fountains. The sky was just beginning to turn rosy, and the first few birds chirped sleepily in the trees.

A deeper voice broke through the sleepy morning chill. "Navi? There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

She looked up wearily and saw Link approaching. He was dressed in his usual green rather than the resplendent silver robes he'd worn the day before, nor did he wear the golden coronet with a Triforce in the middle that had been placed on his head. He was just Link now—but she knew he could never be her boy again. No, now he was Zelda's man.

"Where were you during the feast?" Link asked, looking slightly hurt. "I didn't see you anywhere."

"Oh...I was keeping out of the way."

Link sank onto the edge of a stone planter nearby, so he could look at her more directly. "Are...Are you angry with me?"

Navi sighed. Of course he wouldn't understand. "No, Link, I'm not angry."

With a cautious expression, he said slowly, "You seem sad. Is this...because of Zelda? Me and Zelda, I mean?"

She looked back at him. How could she explain? He obviously didn't see their relationship the same way she did, or he would be hurting just as much as she was.

Link's face fell. "You disapprove of my choice? Why didn't you say something?"

Navi almost wished she could cry, just to release some of this pent-up emotion. "Oh, Link, I don't _disapprove._ How could I? Marrying Zelda is the smartest thing you've ever done." She tried to smile. "It's just that...you don't need me anymore."

"Don't _need_ you?" Link whispered. He held out his hand, and Navi reluctantly stepped onto his palm so he could pull her right up to his face. "Navi, I will _always_ need you."

"No, you don't," Navi said miserably. "You have Zelda now."

"Zelda is my wife," Link said, unable to keep from pausing with a little grin at the way it sounded. "But you're my friend." He held her close to his cheek, and she leaned against his warm skin. "I need your help, your advice. I need someone like you, who knows me inside and out."

"Soon, Zelda will too," Navi said. "She has to be the most important person in your life now."

"No," Link said firmly. "She is my wife...and I love her more than the sun in the sky...but she could never be what you are to me."

"Oh?" Navi crossed her arms. "And what's that?"

Link looked down at her with a smile that warmed her all the way through. "Someone who loved me before I was lovable."

Navi couldn't keep from smiling back. "Wouldn't Zelda get jealous if she could hear you?"

"It wouldn't make any sense for her to be jealous; it's a completely different kind of love. I mean, you...well..." Suddenly he looked embarrassed and scratched a pointed ear, not looking at her. "You kind of...almost...I mean, sometimes, anyway..."

"Spit it out!"

That startled Link into looking at her again. "A mother!" he blurted out. "you're like my mother. I mean, sort of," he stammered as she sat in shocked silence. "N-Not that I know what _my_ mother was like, since I never knew her, but—"

"Link," Navi interrupted, fluttering up to touch the tip of his nose. "Is...Is that really how you think of me?"

"Kind of," Link said, still blushing bright red. "I mean, you're my friend, but sometimes it's...well, you're always looking out for me, taking care of me... You just have this sort of... _mother_ nature about you."

Her heart swelled fit to burst as she looked at her boy— _her boy—_ and realized at last that he looked up to her. He valued her. He _loved_ her. And none of that could be taken away. No matter what happened, he would always be her boy...and she would always be his fairy.


	23. Cat

**Author's Note: DON'T COMPLAIN THIS WAS THE BEST I COULD DO. Seriously. The only cat that even** _ **exists**_ **in Ocarina of Time is the one in the Potion Shop in Kakariko, so there wasn't exactly a whole lot of material to work with here XD But I can't help thinking Link would go all googly-eyed over kittens. Who wouldn't?**

 **Timeline: Child; between Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu**

 **Theme 23: Cat**

The trouble started when they stopped by Lon Lon Ranch on their way to Zora's Domain. Navi _knew_ she should have insisted on taking the underwater shortcut, but Link wanted to visit Malon. He justified it by saying they needed to stock up on milk before heading into who knew what trouble to retrieve Princess Ruto. But Navi was beginning to realize she should have put her foot down.

There were always a few cats wandering around the ranch, since they were useful to keep rats out of the barn. And it just so happened that while Link and Navi had been sweating their way through Dodongo's Cavern, the calico cat called Blinky had given birth to a litter of kittens.

So of course Malon was bursting with this news and told Link all about it before he could say as much as "hello." Which meant that they went to the barn, not to milk the cows like they were supposed to, but to investigate these little bundles of distraction.

Personally, Navi didn't see what they were so excited about. The kittens looked like straggly little rats, and their voices were so tiny they could barely even squeak. They wobbled about the straw-strewn floor of the barn, closely watched by Blinky. They fell over themselves as they tried to navigate this new world, and sniffed curiously at the humans trying to pet them.

As a fairy, Navi had grown accustomed to most living creatures towering over her. Even Link, who was fairly small by human standards, was like a giant to her. So it was rather disconcerting to alight on the barn floor next to these kittens and realize she could look them right in the eye.

"Aren't they _adorable?_ " Malon cooed, picking up a grey kitten and rubbing its head with one finger.

"Look at this one!" Link cried, pointing to one with white and black splotches. "It looks like a cow!"

"At least _cows_ are useful," Navi grumped, hoping Link would get the hint and fill up his jars so they could be on their way.

But Link didn't even seem to hear her; he was busy dangling a bit of string and laughing at a calico kitten's energetic attempts to pounce on it. Right now, he didn't seem much like a hero at all; he was just a lazy boy wasting his afternoon on kittens when he was supposed to be saving the world.

"Hey!" she called. "Isn't it about time we left?" But Link ignored her. "Hey! Listen to me!"

He wasn't paying any attention to her. All he had eyes and ears for were these silly fluffballs. As she watched him holding a pure white one up against his cheek, she felt an odd wriggle in her heart. Almost like...jealousy? What on earth did a kitten have for her to be jealous of?

But...usually Link held _her_ to his cheek like that. Usually only _she_ could bring that blissful smile to his face.

"Do you wanna keep one for a pet?" Malon asked brightly, smiling to see how much Link enjoyed them.

"Of course I would!"

Okay, that was enough. With a huff of irritation, Navi zipped out of the barn. She just couldn't be around him right now. If he wanted to fool himself into thinking he could carry a helpless little kitten around on their adventures, he could just keep right on thinking, and she wouldn't be sorry at all when it ran off or got eaten by a Lizalfos.

Navi grumbled to herself as she flew over the heads of the horses in the paddock, the pride and joy of Lon Lon Ranch. She absent-mindedly tweaked one of Epona's ears to make the feisty little foal neigh menacingly and try to bite her out of the air. But none of her usual light-hearted mischief brightened her spirits today. She perched on a fence post and sighed, wondering how long it would take for Link to even remember she existed.

The Guays were certainly lively today. They wheeled through the air in a large circle, cawing noisily. Navi watched them idly as the circle converged on the tall, thin storage building where Talon stored the milk, cheese, and butter he sold in Kakariko and Castle Town. It was a stone building that remained much cooler than the outside air, even in the heat of the summer. Why were the Guays converging on the storage building? Normally, it was locked up too tightly for them to get in, and besides, Guays wouldn't usually be that interested in milk.

Navi left her perch grudgingly to investigate, as if she weren't just satisfying her curiosity since staying huffy and irritable was actually kind of boring. She didn't want to get too close, because Guays could be nasty to something smaller than they were, but they were behaving unusually. Had they spotted something shiny on the roof?

When she got to the foot of the tall, thin building, she heard a sound that turned her insides cold: the thin, plaintive mewing of a young kitten. _How_ the kitten got up there was anybody's guess, but that wasn't important now. It was hardly bigger than a rat, and Navi had seen Guays carry off even bigger burdens for their supper. Now the Guays were taking it in turns to dive-bomb the poor thing, probably hoping to take it by surprise or knock it off the roof.

Navi instantly forgot her earlier annoyance at everything fluffy and bewhiskered and distracting. The only thing that mattered now was that a living creature was in danger, and she had to _do_ something about it.

Quick as a flash, Navi darted under the nearest tree and snatched up a fallen twig to use as a makeshift weapon. Then she flew as fast as she could up to the roof. The kitten was a brave one; it was fighting back as best as it could. The Guays dodged away from its tiny, needle-sharp claws, but they were growing bolder as it slipped and slid its way across the slick roof tiles.

With a shrill battle cry, Navi charged into the fray, brandishing her twig. The Guays scattered in surprise at this unexpected assailant, but they quickly recovered. Giving up on their small prey, they turned instead to the greater threat, and Navi soon found herself at the center of a swirling maelstrom of beaks, wings, and talons.

How did Link do this all the time? It seemed that every battle involved him being surrounded by enemies twice his size, yet he threw himself into the fray without hesitation. And he _always_ made it out again.

 _Think like Link!_ she told herself desperately, swinging her twig to and fro. It worked fairly well, knocking smartly against the Guays' beaks and unprotected bellies...until the twig snapped in half. With a loud shriek of triumph, the Guays gathered themselves up for the killing blow.

With a scream, Navi grabbed the kitten by the scruff of the neck, surrounded it with her levitation magic so her thin arms could lift it, and heaved them both over the side of the roof. The clatter of talons and beaks and the angry squawks they left behind them were highly satisfying as they slipped right through the clutches of their enemy.

As she plummeted (faster than she would like) to the hard, packed earth beneath her, she spotted a wonderfully familiar blotch of green, and steered toward it as best she could. She saw Link holding out his hat, and dropped the yowling kitten into its safe depths. She kept falling, until she collided with Link's chest, and gripped the green fabric of his tunic to stop her descent.

The Guays cawed angrily to be deprived of their prey, but they circled back and flew away. They knew better than to attack two humans. Malon pulled the kitten out of Link's hat and tried to soothe it, though it clawed her all over in its fright.

Navi clambered up to Link's shoulder and sat down, fanning herself with one hand. "Fat lot of help _you_ were!"

Link looked suitably abashed. "Sorry," he mumbled. "We noticed one of the kittens was missing, and when we went looking for it... I was really scared, Navi. I couldn't even use my slingshot; I could've hit you!"

"Yeah," Navi said, smiling ruefully as she thought of her mighty battle with a twig. "I guess we fight better together than we do apart, huh?"

"Definitely," Link said, cupping his hand around her in an embrace that had never felt so warm. Navi hugged his pinky, beaming.

"So what did you decide about keeping a kitten?" Malon asked, looking up from the one in her arms, which had finally quieted down.

"I think I will," Link said cheerfully. He noticed the way Navi whirled around to look at him in disbelief, and patted her on the head. "But it'll be a little while before they can leave their mother, right? So just hang onto it for me until I come back from the Zora, okay?"

Navi settled back, pacified.

"So which one do you want?" Malon asked brightly.

"That one," Navi said, pointing at the one in Malon's arms. "As long as we've gotta put up with one of those great furry beasts, at least let it be the one I risked my life for."


	24. No Time

**Author's Note: This was a very weird bit of inspiration, but I've grown quite fond of it, and I hope you will too. Every time I looked at this theme, I just couldn't get Farah's line from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time out of my head. ("Go on! There's no** _ **time!**_ **") Instead of fighting it to try to find some other connection, I decided to just run with it. After all, there's plenty you can play around with concerning time when it comes to Zelda. This will probably be confusing at first, but if you just bear with me and stick with it for a while, I promise everything will become clear eventually. This storyline will be continued in the next few chapters, but obviously this is not the first piece of the story chronologically. You'll have to piece it together once all the parts are published. This follows the AU I introduced in chapter 20 ("Fortitude"), where Link becomes king of the Gerudo.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo King AU part 4 of 6**

 **Theme 24: No time**

Link gripped the edge and heaved himself over the top of the enormous hourglass, the stone scraping against his bare chest. He barely noticed the discomfort anymore, what with all the other scrapes and bruises littered there. His feet scrabbled for purchase until finally he swung one leg over the top as well and he rolled onto the flat surface. He allowed himself a moment to lie there and catch his breath, staring up into the shadowy corners of the immense chamber at the very heart of the Spirit Temple.

But of course, his companion would not let him rest long. "Do you see that dome of magical energy?" she called up to him. "Strike your sword through the center of the dome and turn it counterclockwise!"

With a groan, he rolled himself over and pushed himself up onto hands and knees. He could sense her urgency and knew it was well-founded—the Hand was never far behind them—but he was completely exhausted. Surely a moment's rest would do no harm...but no. If they were to fix any of this, they had to press on.

He pulled the Master Sword out of its sheath and knelt by the dome of crackling energy that rose from the flat top of the enormous hourglass. Rising up as high as he could on his knees, he lifted the sword above his head with both hands, pointing the tip towards the center of the dome. He prepared to drive it downwards...but wait.

He looked down at the Gerudo warrior who had accompanied him all this way. She had bandaged the deep gash in her upper arm with a strip of red cloth from her baggy trousers, he saw, but most of her cuts and scrapes went untended, as did his. Their potions were long gone, and there were no healing fairies to be found. She had even had to use her veil to tie her long red hair out of her face.

"What are you waiting for?" Binoora demanded, holding her swords at the ready even though there was no sign of monsters anywhere in this chamber. They had been taken by surprise far too many times to take chances.

Link lowered his sword again, his arms growing too weary to hold it above his head like that. "You tortured me," he said flatly, "and I withstood your every attempt to kill my spirit."

"What?" Binoora snapped, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Not only that," Link pressed on doggedly, "I injured and nearly killed you, humiliating you in front of your leader. To add insult to injury, this foreigner who knows nothing of the ways of the Gerudo then became the king."

"Why do you bring this up now?" she snarled, brandishing her sword as if slashing down those distasteful memories. "Do you want to see your precious fairy again or not?"

Link raised his voice, talking over her with a snarl to hide the pang he felt at the thought of Navi. "I foolishly sought to master this sacred place on my own, only to awaken a horror like nothing your people have seen in a thousand years. You rushed to the aid of your king, and everyone you knew and loved were slaughtered because of my mistakes. Then necessity drove you to join me in this mad chase for our lives, taking you farther and farther away from the safety of the desert. You have every reason to hate me." He narrowed his eyes. "Now you want me to trust you?"

"Just go _on!_ " Binoora yelled, as the floor began to shake violently. "There's no time!"

As if that was the cue, an entire wall of the enormous chamber broke into pieces, enormous stone blocks thrown in all directions by the force of the blow. Link ducked under one that nearly hit his head, and squinted through the swirling dust at the thing he dreaded most: the Hand of the Goddess.

"As you value your life," Binoora screamed wildly, " _strike the dome!_ "

Link raised the sword again, knowing that no matter the consequences, they would be preferable to what the Hand could do. But before even the tip of his sword could pierce the dome of energy, a raging wind howled through the gaping hole in the wall. In an instant, he was hurled backwards, off the Hourglass of Time and into the air. He clung desperately to his sword, as if it could save him.

His head hit stone and he knew no more.


	25. Trouble Lurking

**Author's Note: I am having way too much fun developing this AU and keeping everyone guessing. Sorry...except that I'm not very sorry :P The challenge, I've discovered, is making sure that Navi's presence is felt in each part I write, even when she's not physically present. I like the interesting perspective this brings to our exploration of their relationship, because you can't really know how much someone means to you until they're not there. Also, please note that I've begun indicating the chronological order in which these parts occur, to ease your understanding at least once they're all published.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo King AU part 3 of 6**

 **Theme 25: Trouble lurking**

"What heinous crime did I ever commit that the goddess would punish me so?" Binoora snarled under her breath.

"Hmm, maybe it had something to do with mercilessly torturing innocent travelers trying to pass through your lands," Link muttered, shifting his arm slightly so it wouldn't touch hers. It was hard to do, as they were both lying on their stomachs in a very small hole in the wall, but they both attempted to touch each other as little as possible.

"The desert is sacred ground, hallowed by our ancestors," Binoora whispered hotly. "We cannot allow foolish _foreigners_ to strut through with no regard for where they tread! Or what they _mishandle._ "

Link refused to glance at her, but he couldn't help the feeling of shame creeping over him. She was right, of course. He'd been a clumsy, foolish clod who'd naively thought his experience with four other temples had equipped him for this maddening, labyrinthine death trap with trouble lurking around every corner. And his mistakes had led to...so much pain and death...

But no, he couldn't think about the past. There was only the future, even if the future _did_ only contain the way to turn back time. He had to focus on that, or he would never be able to move an inch.

"I think the way is clear," he said, starting to crawl out of their cramped hiding spot. "We should make a run for the next chamber."

"No, wait!" Binoora hissed, snatching at his sleeve.

But Link tore away from her grip and scurried out of the jagged hole in the wall where they'd been hiding. He peeked around the edge of the crate that mostly shielded them from view of the rest of the room, and saw nothing but burning torches and the sharp blades sticking out of the floor meant to deter the more unwary intruders.

The important thing, though, was that there were no monsters. And especially, no Hand of the Goddess. Though they would be able to hear _that_ coming a long way off.

Link motioned to Binoora and pulled out his sword just in case. His right arm felt naked without his shield, but there was no getting it back from that enormous Like-Like. He would just have to do without. To Binoora's credit, despite their mutual dislike of each other, she unsheathed her swords as well and assumed a defensive position on his right side.

"Okay," Link said, starting forward into the center of the room. "That patrolling Lizalfos unlocked the door, so we should be able to get—"

Binoora's unceremonious shove in the side was the only thing that saved Link from the Lizalfos that sprang over the stack of crates in their corner of the room. Its long, poison-tipped rapier clanged against Binoora's blades as it shrieked a battle cry. Link turned his ungainly sprawl into a roll, striking at the second Lizalfos' legs and forcing it to jump back.

Lizalfos always fought in pairs, one retreating while the other sprang forward to attack. Their fast reflexes and unpredictable movements were difficult to counter on the best of days, and Link was already weary from hours of running and fighting. And he didn't even have a shield.

Link leapt to his feet, circling carefully away from Binoora, who was expertly trading blows with the first Lizalfos. He had less protection this way, but if they separated the Lizalfos from each other, they wouldn't be able to fall back on their usual tactics. The Lizalfos' own speed and agility would work against them, because their stamina was not up to a prolonged battle.

The second Lizalfos, who danced back and forth on skittish feet, seemed to realize what Link's plan was. Its forked tongue lashed out, and it let out a shrill, "Nyeeeh!" of irritation. But its hesitation was only momentary before it darted forward, jabbing its sword at Link's unprotected right side.

However, Link had been expecting this, and easily blocked the attack. Usually, he would have blocked it with his shield and then immediately parried, taking advantage of the moment when his enemy's guard was down. But because he now had to use his sword to block, he wasn't able to parry before the Lizalfos jumped backwards out of range.

The two circled around each other warily for a few moments, testing each other's guard with glancing jabs and feints. The one good thing about this battle was that Lizalfos carried no shields either. They only wore light breastplates with spiked pauldrons, but their flexible, reptilian movements made shields impractical much of the time. That meant Link was more or less evenly matched with this monster.

Hoping to catch the Lizalfos off-guard, Link ducked low and swiped at its legs, but it merely sprang up out of the way, scampering up the stack of crates and dropping down behind Link. He barely managed to whirl around fast enough to block the blade from stabbing him in the back.

As they continued to fight, Link began to realize they were a little _too_ evenly matched. He couldn't seem to get an upper hand, and he couldn't even rely on his usual methods during this battle. It took much more effort to defend himself, and he had to constantly be alert, because...he had no second pair of eyes.

Navi would have shouted warning. Navi would have told him exactly how to evade the attack, and he would have instantly obeyed. He had trained himself to heed her warnings before he could even think. But Navi was gone, so there was no one to yell, "Watch out!" in his ear before the poisoned blade stabbed into his side.

Link let out a choked cry, but had the presence of mind to thrust his sword up into the Lizalfos' neck before collapsing to the ground. The pain of impact with the stones of the floor was nothing compared to the burning pain all down his right side. He looked down at his ribs impaled by the rapier, shaking his head to clear his blurring vision. It wasn't even bleeding that much, but he could practically _feel_ the poison rushing up his veins.

With a gurgling cry, the other Lizalfos crashed to the ground, choking on his own blood and a Gerudo blade in his throat. Binoora hastened to his side, not even bothering to wipe her beloved swords clean. "Your Highness!" she cried, dropping to one knee and setting her swords aside.

Link smirked slightly. "I must...really look bad," he said, fumbling at his belt. "You never call me that..."

Rather than responding, Binoora tore his tunic away from the wound to get a better look at it. Link couldn't see it from his angle, but he could tell from the way her eyes widened above her veil that the situation was dire. What infernal poison had these Lizalfos dipped their blades in?

"Pull the sword out," Link said, pulling out the last jar of red potion and tugging the cork out with his teeth, propping himself up on one elbow.

Normally, that would be a very stupid thing to do, but the longer that sword was in him, the more poison the potion would have to counteract. He could see Binoora setting her jaw behind the veil as she wrapped both hands around the hilt of the sword, and for a wild moment he worried that she would just push it in farther and be done with him. After all, it was no more than he deserved. She owed him nothing but vengeance.

But Binoora yanked the sword out in one swift motion, and Link gulped down the red potion. He lay back, screwing his eyes shut and trying to quell the nausea that rose in response to the fire ripping through his veins. The steady warmth of the potion seeped through him, pushing back the wave of poison back to the hole oozing blood down his side. After what felt like hours, the pain subsided and the skin knit together again.

He breathed deep, wiping the sweat off his clammy forehead, and let out a long sigh of relief. The poison left him feeling shaky, though he was completely healed. His heart was still pounding with adrenaline.

"That was the last potion, wasn't it?" Binoora said, sitting back on her heels.

Link hesitated, then nodded. "We're in bad shape."

With an impressive show of nonchalance, Binoora shrugged and proceeded to wipe her swords clean before sheathing them. "As the goddess wills."

Pushing himself up to a sitting position at last, Link retrieved his own sword from a few feet away. "I'm starting to think the goddess doesn't like us."

"Oh? Perhaps it is _your_ goddesses who wish us ill."

Link looked at her sharply; this wouldn't be the first argument they'd had about their deities. But Binoora's veil twitched and her eyes curved upwards slightly. Her dark eyes slid across to him, and Link realized she was _smiling._

"Or perhaps they merely mean to teach us a lesson—in patience and forbearance, I think."

For the first time, a shred of understanding seemed to pass between them. "And in listening to the advice of those who are wiser."

Binoora got to her feet and held out a hand to help him up. "I am not wiser than you, Your Highness. I merely know the desert. Now come. The hourglass awaits."


	26. Tears

**Author's Note: I'm really enjoying playing around with this sort-of-crossover with Prince of Persia XD This chapter is heavily influenced by the scene directly following the one that inspired "No Time," where the Prince and Farah have to deal with the consequences of his mistakes. Just to be clear, I'm not intending any romance between Link and Binoora, even though Binoora takes Farah's place. They're just two reluctant companions trying to get home.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo King AU part 5 of 6**

 **Theme 26: Tears**

Link didn't know where he was. Everything was completely dark, though he wasn't sure if that was because there was no light or because he'd gone completely blind. He could feel cold, gritty stone beneath him and all around him. The air was cold and damp, a draft blowing over his skin from the crumbled stone wall in front of him. At least he wouldn't suffocate.

When he had first come to, he had frantically groped in every direction, trying to find a way out of his stone prison, but he had quickly realized he was trapped. The Hand of the Goddess had sealed him away under layers of the rubble it had created. Who knew how far he was from the Hourglass now, or whether any part of the temple remained intact.

Binoora lay beside him. He had found her under a mountain of pebbles and dragged her out to the small circle of open ground where he now sat. Miraculously, his blind inspection of her told him that not only was she alive, she didn't even appear to have any broken bones. Neither did he, though he ached all over as though he'd had another dose of Gerudo torture.

In the darkness and the silence, with no one but an unconscious Gerudo warrior for company, Link finally had a moment to realize how alone he truly was. He hadn't thought it was possible to miss Navi more than he already had, but with nothing else for his mind to dwell on, her absence struck his heart with a tangible ache. If she were here, she would have something comforting and encouraging to say. She would scold him for his foolishness, of course, but then she would plant an ethereal whisper of a kiss on his cheek and remind him not to give up. She would help him think of what to do next. She would be a source of light in all this darkness. But without her...he could do nothing.

Binoora stirred at his side, and he gratefully focused on the moment instead. "Careful," he said, finding her shoulders in the darkness and helping her sit up, propping her back against the stone wall behind them. "You don't seem to be too badly injured, but it's too dark for me to tell for sure..."

A fist collided with his cheek, and for a moment, stars exploded in the darkness. "You utter _fool!_ " Binoora yelled, her voice echoing around their stony prison. "The Hourglass was _right there!_ The sword was in your hand! You could have fixed all of this, but now look at us! We don't even know where we _are,_ do we?"

Link tried to respond, but another fist slammed into his shoulder. "You call yourself a king? You're nothing but a _child._ Your pride is too wounded to see simple sense, and now we will die here! Why didn't you trust me? What reason would I have to sabotage the only way I could see my sisters again? Why would I lead you astray when we both desire the same thing? Why did I trust _you?_ "

Every accusation was another arrow in his heart, each more painful than the last. He dropped his head onto his knees, which he had drawn up against his bare chest to try to keep warm. Hot tears wetted the fabric of his leggings, but he didn't care if Binoora heard him sniffling. Her opinion of him could hardly be lowered any further. She would merely see this as further confirmation that he was an infantile idiot, no more fit for the throne than Ganondorf was.

But when Binoora next spoke, her voice was soft and abashed. "I...I didn't mean what I said."

"No." Link straightened up and tried to dry his eyes, but once started, his tears wouldn't stop. "You're right. Everything you've said about me...is right. I-I'm no king. Just a f-fool. And...because of m-me, everyone...everyone is dead..." _Oh, Navi, why? I need you right now. I need you always._

Suddenly, warm hands found his shoulders, and he was drawn into a strong embrace. Link was so startled that for a moment he forgot his pain, but then Binoora murmured in his ear, "It's all right."

Her words broke the flimsy wall he'd built to hold back his emotions. The tiny breaches in the wall became gaping holes, till his whole body shook with the force of his sobs. He clung to Binoora, grounding himself with her hard strength. She was a rock in his torrent of guilt and grief. As long as he had her, the waves would crash over him but he would not drown.

"I'm sorry," he gasped, barely able to draw breath. His breath felt like knives stabbing through his chest. "I'm so sorry..."

Her calloused fingers combed through his hair with an almost motherly touch. "I'm sorry too."

After several moments, they broke apart, Link finally managing to get his emotions under control again. With a sigh, he tilted his head back against the stone wall and stretched his legs out in front of him. Binoora settled next to him, and for once he actually wished he could see her.

Hoping to lighten the mood at least a little, Link nudged her in the side. "I never knew you could be so kind when you wanted to."

Binoora snorted, but there was no heat behind it. "I am a Gerudo, not a monster." She hesitated, then said slowly, "I begin to think...that strength comes in many forms. We are not used to each other's strength, so we underestimate it. Perhaps...Perhaps you would be the best thing for our people after all. Maybe we need a king who cares, and who does not punish us for being human."

A lifetime of pain and hard stoicism hid behind those words. Ganondorf had much to answer for. "And maybe a king needs someone at his right hand," he said quietly. "Someone who will tell him when he's being an idiot, and who will protect him when the need arises." He chuckled mirthlessly. "If only there was a kingdom for us to go back to."

"Go back..." Binoora trailed off, then suddenly slammed him against the wall. Her hands slapped against his chest, then started feeling blindly around the strap of his sword.

"Binoora! Wh-What—?"

"That ridiculous little instrument!" Binoora yelled, ignoring Link's protests as she started groping around the pouches on his belt. "The ocarina! I heard that Sheikah man! The ocarina's magic will take us right to the front of the temple!"

Link sat frozen for a minute, unable to believe his own stupidity. They'd had no desire to leave the temple until they could turn back time, so he hadn't even considered the Requiem of Spirit. But now there was no other way out. No other way to get to the Hourglass.

Slapping Binoora's hand away, Link pulled the Ocarina of Time out of its pouch and put it to his lips. "Hang on to me," he said to his companion. "We're getting out of here."

Mournful notes rose from the depths of the temple, lamenting the loss of all who had perished there. But as Link and Binoora were whisked away in an amber light, the notes lifted with the sound of hope.


	27. Foreign

**Author's Note: Yay, you finally get to see the beginning of all this madness! XD I spent way too much time thinking up distinct characters for all of Link's honor guard. Hopefully their names sound suitably Gerudo-ish; I made them all up completely on the fly. I'll admit to drawing a bit of inspiration from the Wheel of Time series; I suppose it's just because they're both fearsome warriors who live in the desert, but I've long thought the Gerudo would act a bit like the Aiel.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo King AU part 1 of 6**

 **Theme 27: Foreign**

Link had finally given up on trying to convince the Gerudo not to call him 'Your Majesty.' At first, they had just ignored him, then they started sharing uncomfortable looks he probably wasn't supposed to notice. Finally Shuura, the youngest of the honor guard leading him through the haunted desert wasteland, had said bluntly, "But that's what you _are._ "

Thallabet, whose ponytail was silver rather than red though she seemed as strong and lithe as all the others, smacked Shuura in the back of the head. Shuura scowled and rubbed her head, then bowed so low her ponytail brushed the sand. No one said anything more on the matter, and the warriors soon relaxed once they seemed to realize Link wasn't about to take out his frustrations by beheading Shuura—or whatever it was that Ganondorf used to do.

All the same, Link had realized he was fighting a losing battle. The arena was completely foreign to him, his weapons turned to dust in his hands, and the ones who looked like his enemies were actually his allies. Like it or not, he was the king of the Gerudo, and he couldn't just sidestep his duty no matter how unfit he was for the task.

So when Vareena, who hadn't stopped staring at him since they'd left the Fortress, approached him at the oasis and said, "We are ready to depart on your command, Your Majesty," he didn't protest. He just pushed himself to his feet and screwed the cap back on his canteen.

With a sigh, Link beckoned Navi over from where she'd been frolicking through the water with the few of her brethren who braved the heat of the desert. Navi flitted up to him immediately, sprinkling a few cool drops on his hot forehead. He couldn't see his reflection in the rippling pool, but he was pretty sure his face was burned bright pink despite the scarf they'd given him to ward off the worst of the sandstorm.

When he approached the huge archway leading into the Spirit Temple, Link noticed that all twelve of the Gerudo women who'd led him here were waiting in the shadow of the pillars. Standing with their arms crossed and their swords within easy reach, it was hard not to feel intimidated. He was their king? What a joke. He felt like a small boy cowering under Impa's disapproval because he'd dared approach Princess Zelda with dirty fingernails.

"You better say something," Navi hissed in his ear as he mounted the steps to the portico directly in front of the temple entrance. "Something kingly and inspiring. Impress them so they'll follow you to the bitter end!"

Standing before them, he could _feel_ them sizing him up, asking themselves how they had managed to convince themselves this was a good idea. Binoora glared daggers at him from the far left, Looshan on the right looked like she was suppressing a disdainful snicker, and in the middle Eshmaala was actually fiddling with the hilt of her sword. None of them looked like they wanted to be there.

Swallowing what felt like a mouthful of sand, Link cleared his throat and said, "Now...remember, our agreement is that you will accompany me until we find Nabooru. Once we've found her, she might need your help getting her out of here, and I will go on alone. I have to expel the evil in this place and awaken the final Sage."

That wasn't much of a rousing speech. He wasn't good at this; he wasn't used to _talking_ so much. It was usually just him and Navi, and they understood each other so completely they often didn't even need to talk about their plans. Out here, he was like a fish out of water—flopping around in the middle of the desert, dying under the heat of their condescending gazes.

"Your Majesty..." It was Shuura again, taking a step away from her fellow Gerudo warriors. Thallabet was too far away to hit her this time. "Forgive me, but...why will you not allow us the honor of fighting by your side?"

Link swallowed again, staring down at Shuura. The girl hardly looked older than twelve, and didn't even come up to his shoulder, yet her gaze was so sharp and pained that Link had to force himself not to take a step back. "It's not about honor," he said haltingly. "It's...too dangerous. You don't know what might be lurking inside there."

Zerrash, whose nose was so sharply pointed Link was convinced it could pierce steel, stepped forward to join Shuura. "Did not Ganeeba tell you? We are the elite. There are no warriors among the Gerudo who can best us for skill, or for honor, or for courage. What more do you demand of us to allow us to accompany you?"

The others remained silent, but a couple of them nodded in approval. Even Thallabet didn't look too disapproving of their insolence in speaking to their king that way. Link cleared his throat, opened his mouth, then cleared his throat again.

To his surprise, Navi zipped out from under his hat and hovered in front of him. "They have a point, Link. They're the best of the best. Besides, this is the last temple. It's probably going to be the hardest one we've slogged through so far. Maybe this time we need a bit more help."

Link remembered the terrors they'd faced in the Shadow Temple, and how narrowly they had escaped death so many times. As helpful as Navi always was, acting as a second pair of eyes and giving him advice and encouragement every step of the way, she wasn't much help when it came to fighting. She could tell him when to duck and point out enemies' weak spots, and often that was enough. But what if he could go through a temple with twelve of the best warriors in the entire land at his back?

It was Navi bobbing over Shuura's shoulder that finally convinced him. Her advice was always so wise and well considered. Surely, if she said it was a good idea, he could trust that it was. So with a final nod, he turned to the warriors. _His_ warriors.

"All right, then. Follow me."


	28. Sorrow

**Author's Note: I have a confession to make. This whole thing actually was inspired by a dream. I know, that's the beginning of a lot of lame fics, but occasionally one will come along that really has a kernel of something worthwhile hidden inside it. My dream was a weird mish-mash resulting from playing Ocarina of Time and Bioshock Infinite simultaneously.** **In it, Link had to sneak around the Spirit Temple because...well, because he was trying to avoid the Hand of the Goddess. You'll see what I mean. It's kind of hard to capture just how horrifying and oppressive that dream felt while I was in the middle of it. In a video game, it wouldn't be that terrifying, especially with all the other things Link has had to contend with. But if you were really there, living it? It's a wonder Link can even move.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo King AU part 2 of 6**

 **Theme 28: Sorrow**

By the time they reached the central room of the Spirit Temple, Link was more frustrated than he could ever remember being inside a temple. And that was including the Water Temple.

The thing was, it didn't matter how elite these twelve women with him were. It didn't matter if they'd been training with their blades from the time they were in their cradles, or if they were more cunning and resourceful than all the rest of their sisters back in the Fortress. The bottom line was, there were just too _many_ of them. Link was used to creeping through infested temples with only Navi for company, and often the two of them would fall silent for long stretches of time as they each contemplated the way forward. But with twelve women around him, he spent so much time watching what they were doing and trying to make sure they were all safe that he didn't have much thought to spare for the puzzles they encountered.

He knew this wasn't the way it was supposed to work. The Gerudo were supposed to be protecting _him,_ using their prowess and ingenuity to clear the path for their king. But none of them had ever been inside any of the temples Link had bested, so how could they really say they knew what they were doing?

On the plus side, it seemed that the noise of thirteen people (stealthy though they were) walking through the halls had scared off most of the smaller monsters that often became such a nuisance to Link when traveling through a temple on his own. When they _did_ come across a Like-Like or a few Keese, the Gerudo dispatched them with efficiency. Link hadn't had to draw his sword once.

At least they seemed to be getting somewhere important now. They'd found no sign of Nabooru yet, but Link wasn't discouraged. If she was still here, the former leader of the Gerudo would be held deep within the dungeons of the temple. They'd probably have to rid this place of evil before they could find her.

For now, Link turned his attention to the room around him. The chamber was enormous, the ceiling stretching into the shadows far above their heads. The door they'd come out of, which was large enough for three of them to walk abreast, was dwarfed by the enormous statue sitting directly in front of it. Link had never seen such an enormous, lifelike statue. It sat cross-legged on the floor, its hands held upright in a meditative pose. The head of the statue loomed above them in the shadows, as tall as the tallest spire of Hyrule Castle. This massive stone behemoth had been carved in the shape of a Gerudo woman, who rather than hair bore a headdress shaped like a serpent. And...it was hard to tell in the dim light of the few torches set around the statue, but it looked like it had been carved from a single, massive stone. It was a staggering feat of craftsmanship, stopping them all in their tracks and making even Thallabet's jaw drop in awe.

"The Hand of the Goddess..." she murmured, her voice echoing around the stone chamber.

"Hand?" Navi fluttered higher to get a better look. "It looks like a lady to me."

"She is the avatar of the goddess," said Inikka, who from what Link could figure out was the keeper of the Gerudo library as well as one of the most skilled fighters. "The protector of the Spirit Temple. She enacts the will of the goddess, smiting down the unworthy who set foot in these sacred halls."

"Huh," Navi said, sounding unimpressed. "I don't see how a statue can do that much damage."

Privately, Link agreed, but he could tell at a glance around at the others that it would be wise to hold his tongue. From what he could tell, this 'goddess' wasn't Din, Farore, or Nayru, but he hadn't been able to get a straight answer out of any of them who she was supposed to be, nor why no one in Hyrule had ever heard of her. She was simply 'the goddess,' and apparently her temple had been here for as long as anyone could remember.

"Isn't there also a legend that the Hand of the Goddess carries out the will of the king?" Shuura spoke up. It seemed she had overcome her awe more quickly than the older ladies; she was actually standing right under the statue, a hair's-breadth away from touching it with her pointing finger.

"In that case, let's get to it," Link said impatiently, striding forward. "I don't see how a giant statue can help us find Nabooru, but we need all the help we can get."

"Wait!" Binoora's sharp voice cracked through the quiet chamber. Link stiffened as he halted in front of the statue; even just hearing her voice reminded him of those endless days of torment. Why had he agreed to let her come along? It was obvious she hated him for escaping her whip. What was preventing her from letting her blade slip, or allowing her concentration to lapse just enough to get him killed?

"You cannot expect to control the Hand of the Goddess!" she said, her voice filled with scorn. "Not you, a foreigner who knows nothing of the Gerudo. There have been legends and admonishments passed down from mother to daughter for generations, warning of the dangers to anyone who presumes—"

"I'm the Hero of Time," Link interrupted, placing his palm on a small recess in the center of the statue's plinth, which was shaped like a hand. "I'm sure I can figure it out."

Even before the words left his mouth, a low rumbling began to fill the room. It sounded like it came from the stones beneath their feet. Soon, they could all feel the tremors shaking the huge stone blocks that paved the floor. The cold stone shook under his hand as well, so Link stepped slowly back, looking up at the statue.

The Hand of the Goddess began to move. Not like the other moving statues Link had seen—not like an Armos that remained in its rigid position except that it spun in a deadly whirl, ready to barrel over the unwary. The stone of this enormous statue seemed almost fluid as the huge legs moved to stand, and the hands lowered by the stone woman's side. Slowly, the Hand of the Goddess turned its enormous, blank eyes downwards, taking in the tiny forms at its feet.

Despite his earlier bravado, Link's mouth felt like it was full of sand. He cleared his throat and began, "I am the king of the Gerudo—"

With a terrible grating shriek, like metal cutting through stone, the Hand of the Goddess opened its mouth and blew. A torrential gust of wind screamed out of the gaping maw, slamming into the Gerudo who had silently formed a line in front of Link while he wasn't looking.

Before Link could even gasp, Inikka and three others were blasted to one side, smashing through one of the enormous stone columns like it was made of butter. They didn't move. There was no way they could have survived such an impact.

Frantic hands shoved against his back and pulled on his arms, moving him out of the way. Stunned, he let them, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. The Hand of the Goddess slowly turned to follow them, its blank eyes seeming to pierce through the darkness and homing directly in on Link's soul. It knew who he was. It knew he was foreign. And it would make him pay for pretending to be a Gerudo.

"Come on, Link, hurry up!" Navi was screaming shrilly in his ear as they ran. "This is no simple miniboss! We have to get out of here!"

That awful shrieking cry sounded again, and Link's hat blew off his head as the wind brushed past him. Its full strength missed him, but smashed the rear guard apart like a rank of toy soldiers. Zerrash, Looshan, Kentallo, and Vareena went flying, their cries of pain and fear smothered as a balcony smashed on top of them.

"Are you utterly _daft?_ " Binoora yelled as Link stumbled to a horrified halt, staring at a mangled arm poking out of the rubble. "Keep moving, idiot boy, unless you want us _all_ to die for your stupidity!"

As if her words were prophetic, an enormous stone foot slammed into the ground in front of them, blocking the door they'd been running towards. Shuura had gotten there first to push the door open, and she instantly disappeared beneath the smooth stone heel. She didn't even have time to look up.

"Shuura!" Thallabet cried in dismay, even as they hastened in the other direction, ducking between legs as tall as the Great Deku Tree.

With a snarl, Eshmaala whirled around and brandished her swords. "Get the king to safety! I'll hold it off!"

It would never work. They all knew a single person could never hold back this colossus. But before Link could find the words to protest, Thallabet and Binoora grabbed his arms and hauled him towards the nearest exit. They ran as fast as they could, but not so fast they couldn't hear the futile sound of swords striking merciless stone. Another blast of wind, and all fell silent once more.

Then they were through the door, leaving that accursed chamber behind once and for all. The Hand stomped its foot and smashed its gigantic fists against the wall, crumbling it to bits in a fit of stony rage. Link grabbed Binoora around the waist and rolled them both out of the way of falling debris. But he couldn't pull two people to safety, and Thallabet wasn't as nimble as he was. She stumbled, and fell beneath the falling stones.

Binoora shoved Link away with a snarl and swung to her feet. She didn't bother to draw her weapons, knowing full well that they would be useless. Link staggered to his feet more slowly, his mind frozen. For a long moment, all was silent, and it actually seemed as though they had evaded pursuit.

Then the mountain of debris exploded outward, and a huge fist broke through. A huge chunk of what had once been the ceiling careened towards them, and Link was dimly aware that no matter how quickly they moved, they would be crushed. Quick as lightning, Navi darted under the collar of his tunic and twisted the blue gem he had just acquired outside this temple.

The dome that sprang up around Link and Binoora looked as fragile as crystal, but the chunk of rock slammed into it and crumbled to pieces without so much as a grain of sand touching them. The dome flickered slightly, but it held.

"Go!" Navi yelled, zipping back in front of Link's face, though she addressed Binoora instead. "Nayru's Love won't protect you for long. I'll distract that Hand thing; you get Link to safety!"

"Navi, wait—"

But the little fairy had already left the protective dome, and flitted around the stone face that was just emerging from the clouds of dust and rubble. The Hand of the Goddess followed the bright fairy's movements, and didn't seem to have seen the others yet. Binoora yanked on his arm, leading him towards a narrow opening in the wall that opened into one of the chambers they had already traversed.

Link grabbed the edge of the doorway and looked over his shoulder just in time to see an oversized stone hand smash the little ball of blue light against the wall. When the hand pulled away, the light was gone.

There was no time to process the shock. There was no room in his heart to feel sorrow. All he could do was briefly acknowledge that Navi and everyone else who had foolishly followed him into the Spirit Temple were dead, and let Binoora lead him farther out of danger.

This was all his fault. He would do anything— _anything_ —to turn back time and start over again.


	29. Happiness

**Author's Note: Here we are at last! The final installment (both in publishing and chronological order) of the Gerudo King arc! It all comes full circle. Looking back on these past six chapters, I realize I may have gone overboard with this bit of inspiration, but I don't really regret it, because it was so much fun XD I hope you've enjoyed it at least a little as well, and will continue to have patience with my random AU inspiration. Because you can be pretty sure I'll have some more before we get to the end of this.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo King AU part 6 of 6**

 **Theme 29: Happiness**

He was so tired. Tired in body, mind and soul. He didn't know how long he and Binoora had been sneaking around the temple, trying to make it back to the Hourglass without running afoul of the Hand of the Goddess again. But time had ceased to have much meaning to Link. It had no meaning, and yet it carried more importance than anything else. Time was their only hope.

Link had been inclined to scoff at Binoora when she had first told him about the Hourglass of Time embedded within the plinth the Hand had left behind when it sprang to life. It seemed too good to be true—a failsafe left behind by whoever had built this temple and put the Hand there in the first place, a way to turn back time to the moment right before the Hand had been released.

But however cynical Link may have become in his trials, he knew better than to throw away the chance when there was even a slight possibility to fix things. That was the ultimate goal of his quest, after all—to stop Ganondorf and make reparations for the mistakes he and Zelda had made that allowed the Triforce to be stolen in the first place.

So he had to trust Binoora. Trust the woman who had tortured him mercilessly, then risked her life a dozen times to save his.

Link crouched in the shadows while Binoora peered through the narrow crack in the wall, searching for any sign of movement from the main room of the temple beyond. He realized, as he watched the faint light dance on her red hair falling free over her shoulders, that he _did_ trust her now. They might never be the greatest of friends, but she had proven her loyalty enough times that he knew she wouldn't lead him astray now. She had no reason to with so much at stake, but more importantly...he dared to hope that she actually cared about him. They'd been through so much together.

Slowly, Binoora turned to catch his eye and nodded once. Tiptoeing as softly as they could, they crept from their dubious shelter and into the wider expanse of the great chamber beyond. They could see the Hourglass glittering in the dark shadows, as tall as one man standing on another's shoulders, sitting in the pile of rubble that had once been the stone plinth the Hand sat on.

This time, neither of them hesitated, neither of them spoke. They both knew what must be done, and they knew they had precious little time to do it. As soon as they reached the foot of the Hourglass, Binoora cupped her hands and braced herself. Link placed one foot in her clasped hands, and she boosted him up in one strong push. Grasping the top of the Hourglass, Link scrambled up and over the edge.

And just as it had the last time, the Hand of the Goddess seemed able to sense their presence in its chamber. With an earth-shattering shriek, the Hand kicked its way through the mass of rubble that had once been a wall. As dust and debris rained down on his head, Link tried not to think of the terror clutching his chest with iron talons. He pulled out his sword, raised it above his head, and slammed it into the glowing dome in the center.

For a moment, he glanced up at the swiftly approaching Hand, then down at Binoora. Maybe it was because of the blade inserted in the Hourglass, but it seemed that time moved sluggishly. An eternity passed as Binoora lowered her swords, knowing they were useless to defend herself. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned her head to look back at him, and what he saw in her calm expression took his breath away.

Trust.

As the Hand of the Goddess raised its fist to smite him from existence once and for all, Link turned the sword in the slot like a key, counterclockwise a full turn. A howling wind rushed towards him, and at first he worried that it was too late and the Hand was attacking him again. But then he realized the giant statue was walking backwards, away from him. Binoora looked away from him again. He dropped down from the Hourglass, and the two of them stealthily made their way back into hiding.

Time moved backwards, slowly at first but then faster and faster. It was an odd sensation—Link could feel the hilt of his sword clutched in his hand the whole time, but he could also feel himself moving backwards through time. Soon the rushing sensation all around him overwhelmed every other sense, till he was only aware of a blur of sound and color and movement.

Then time lurched back into its normal flow. Link jolted, his hand gripping his sheathed sword on his back, and realized he was staring at the stone knee of the Hand of the Goddess. With a gasp, he staggered back away from it...but it wasn't moving. The stone figure was seated, and quiescent as the stones beneath his feet.

Link sat down unceremoniously, gaping up at the statue. It...had worked.

"Link! Are you okay?"

A bobbing blue light hovered in front of him, her tinkles sounding concerned. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. "Navi..."

For several long minutes, all he could do was clutch her close to his cheek and whisper over and over again, "You're alive..."

"What's wrong with him?" said a slightly rude voice from nearby.

Link looked up and saw that he was surrounded by Gerudo. Twelve living, breathing women all staring down at him with various levels of concern and confusion. "Th-The Hand of the Goddess," he gasped, suddenly realizing that tears were pouring down his cheeks. Navi stroked them gently away, but he couldn't stop them. "It...It killed you..."

"He's gone mad," Looshan said in a tone somewhere between disgust and awe. "The heat of the desert has completely addled his mind."

"No," Inikka spoke up thoughtfully, looking between him and the huge statue. "There are a few references describing the Hand's power. It is said to give some people visions when they touch it..."

Shuura, who stood closest, reached out a hand as if hoping to test this theory.

"Don't!" Link yelled, surging to his feet again. His voice came out harsh and commanding, and Shuura immediately snatched her hand away, looking alarmed. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he said again more quietly, "Don't. No one is to touch the Hand of the Goddess. Pay attention to the wisdom of your legends."

He felt shaky all over. He was still too stunned to even feel happiness. A glance down at himself revealed that his clothes were intact again, and no wounds covered his body. It was as though none of those horrible things had happened, as though Inikka was right and it had all been a vision... But in the end, he decided it probably didn't matter. He knew now what it was to be alone.

"We're wiser together than we are apart," Link said, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his tunic. He probably didn't look very dignified, crying and no doubt looking like he would pass out at any moment. But he met each Gerudo's eyes in turn, relishing how warm and _alive_ they all were. "And I'm going to need _all_ of you if we're to find Nabooru and get out of this temple alive. I can see that now. I was foolish to think I could master this temple on my own. Because being a Gerudo doesn't mean rushing forward alone without asking for help. 'Gerudo' means 'strength'. And that strength we find in each other."

His eyes fell last on Binoora, who listened with a thoughtful frown, head cocked to one side. She clenched her jaw when their eyes met, and she gave no indication that she remembered anything of what they'd been through together. She wouldn't remember all the times she'd saved his life...but she was still Binoora, and he knew her worth.

Then Link did something he knew was unprecedented in all the history of this proud people. But then, he was only the king by happenstance, so he could get away with it. He bowed low, the gesture encompassing everyone but facing primarily towards Binoora. "It would be my honor if you would lend me your strength that I may serve your people."

For a long moment, they all gaped at him. Link straightened up from his bow, expecting them to chide him for disregarding their customs or shaming and humbling himself even though he was the king. But then Binoora took a small step forward and said quietly, " _Our_ people. You serve our people."


	30. Under the Rain

**Author's Note: My first thought for this chapter was to do something with the Song of Storms. But that's predictable, right? Much better to branch out in an unexpected direction and see what else I could come up with. So I decided to take a peek at these two** _ **before**_ **they officially meet each other.**

 **Timeline: Child; pre-game**

 **Theme 30: Under the rain**

Navi had been contentedly snoozing and dreaming of the changing of the seasons when she was rudely awoken by a sudden splash of moisture on her face. Blinking the water out of her eyes and struggling to sit up, she suppressed a frustrated groan. All she'd been trying to do was get her beauty sleep, and she'd been caught under the rain. And it had been such a lovely summer afternoon, with not a cloud in the sky...

But wait. Once she had shaken the droplets out of her face, Navi could see the dappled forest floor beyond her napping spot amongst the roots of a stump. Patches of sunlight and the shadows cast by leaves alternated, fluttering as the warm breeze rustled in the treetops. There were _still_ no clouds in the sky. And as another drop landed on Navi's head, she realized it tasted salty.

That was when she realized she could hear a sniffling sound somewhere far above her. Craning her head around, she saw two booted feet resting on the roots on either side of her. She swiftly fluttered out of the way as more fat teardrops splashed down to the ground. Shaking herself dry from a bit farther away, Navi got a better look at the person who had disturbed her sleep.

A little Kokiri boy sat on the stump Navi had chosen as her resting place, elbows on knees and head in hands. His shoulders shook as he quietly sobbed, apparently oblivious to the fairy that had been sitting below him. Since most of the Kokiri boys had blond hair and _all_ of them wore green tunics and hats, Navi couldn't tell which one it was. She never paid much attention to which was which anyway. She hadn't been assigned to any of the Kokiri, and Saria was the only one who paid much attention to the other fairies.

But this boy just looked so _sad,_ she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He'd probably just stubbed his toe or woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and he would be all right in a few minutes. But...what if something was _really_ wrong? She couldn't see his fairy anywhere. What if it had gotten lost? What if _he_ was lost? It happened a lot in these woods, after all, no matter how long they'd lived here.

"Hey," she said gently, flitting up to him and trying to pry his fingers away from his face. "What's wrong? Hey, don't cry. It's gonna be okay..."

The boy parted his fingers, snuffling with surprise and blinking out at her, more tears leaking out. He closed his fingers again. "G-Go away," he sobbed.

"Well, I like that!" Navi said, putting her hands on her hips, though there was no fire behind her words. "Here I am, just trying to help you. But I can't do that if you won't tell me what's wrong. Hasn't your fairy taught you better manners than that?"

At that, the boy ripped his hands away from his face and glared at her, his eyes red and puffy, his nose running. "I haven't _got_ a fairy, okay? I _know_ I don't have a fairy! You don't have to keep _reminding_ me!" His chin trembled, and he shot to his feet. A sob broke out as he raced away from her into the forest.

"Oh dear," Navi said softly, watching him go. "You really jumped into the Deku Baba's mouth with that one, Navi." Balling her fists with determination, she streaked after him, dodging around tree trunks and low-hanging branches with ease.

She didn't have to go far to find the boy. He was leaning against a tree not too far away, crying into his arms against the rough bark. Well, at least she knew which one he was now. Only Link had no fairy of his own. No wonder he was crying, the poor thing.

Navi flew slowly over to Link, alighting on his shoulder and tentatively reaching out to touch his cheek. He didn't seem to notice her feather-light touch, and just kept on crying as though his heart would break. He was all alone in this world. He had no fairy, and he never seemed to spend much time playing games with the other Kokiri. Navi had noticed him lingering on the edges of the clearing, but he never asked to join the others in their activities, and they never invited him. No one except Saria.

"Hush now," Navi whispered into his pointed ear. "There's no need to cry. It doesn't matter that you don't have a fairy."

"Easy for y-you to say," Link sobbed, his voice slightly muffled against his arms. "You d-don't understand."

"Oh, _really?_ " Navi said with a smirk. "I'm a fairy myself; what do you think I don't understand?"

Link pushed away from the tree and turned his head to glare at her, tears still streaming down his face. " _They_ all have fairies," he said in a shaking voice. "Why can't I be like them? What's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Navi said gently, the words falling from her lips before she knew what she was going to say. "You don't have to be like them. You're special."

She didn't know why she'd said that, but as soon as she did, she knew it was true. There was something different about this boy, something deeper than his lack of a guardian hovering over his shoulder every minute. Link blinked, so taken aback that he seemed to forget he'd been crying.

A fond smile curled her lips, and it wouldn't go away. Yes, there was something very special about those deep blue eyes. "I think there's a reason you don't have a guardian fairy, but it's not because there's something wrong. You sit and think more than the other Kokiri. You have to figure things out on your own, because you don't have anyone to tell you what's what. No one leads you through the forest, so you have to learn how to find your own way, and how to get around the creatures of the forest without a guardian to protect you. Know what, Link? I don't think you _need_ a fairy."

For a minute or two, Link looked so shocked he didn't seem to know what to say. Then, in an ashamed mumble, he said, "That's not what Mido says."

"Mido's an idiot," Navi said, tossing her head with a tinkle. " _Everybody_ knows that, even us fairies. Don't you listen to him, Link. I've watched you, like I've watched all the Kokiri. And I know you're strong, and brave, and smart...and _kind,_ too. Don't let anyone tell you all of that doesn't make you special just because you don't have a fairy."

Link gazed at her for several long moments of silence, absorbing what she'd said with the same serious expression that set him apart from the other Kokiri. Then he wiped his tears away and, like the sun breaking through the clouds, he smiled.


	31. Flowers

**Author's Note: Sorry, got a sad one for you today. For some reason, this idea latched onto my brain and wouldn't let go. I'll leave it up to you to decide what happened, how far in the future this is, etc.**

 **Timeline: Adult; post-game**

 **Theme 31: Flowers**

They put you in the ground today, Link.

It was a nice ceremony, as far as funeral ceremonies go. Some windbag we've never even met before waffled on for ages about your 'accomplishments' and the 'services' you've done to 'society,' and he even pretended to cry when he said you would 'always be remembered.'

But the queen said some nice things. She held herself together remarkably well, I thought, putting on a brave face for her people like always. I think she's still in shock. Delegates from the Gorons, Zora, and Gerudo spoke some words too. There weren't any delegates from the Kokiri, of course. Maybe that's what I was supposed to be.

I'm sorry I didn't say anything. For once, I couldn't think of a single thing to say. I bet some people in the crowd were glad of that.

Still, I stood by your grave a long time after everyone else went away.

* * *

They put flowers on your grave today, Link.

Lots of flowers—red, white, yellow, blue—from all over Hyrule. Each kind was supposed to represent a place you'd been in your travels, planted around your grave in concentric circles corresponding to their location in Hyrule. Water lilies from Lake Hylia, blossoming cacti from Gerudo Valley, even some Bomb Flowers. The queen arranged it all. I think it was a mix of diplomacy and wanting to celebrate your memory.

But there weren't any thimbleblossoms from the Lost Woods. No one remembered they were your favorite. Maybe no one knew—I mean, most people don't even know what thimbleblossoms _are,_ since even if they've been to the Lost Woods...well, they got lost, right? Even if they saw thimbleblossoms, they never went back to tell anyone about it.

I'm sorry I didn't plant any thimbleblossoms for you. I can't seem to move from this spot. I haven't, not for a long, long time. Not since they put you here.

Still, maybe I can represent the Lost Woods for you, even though I'm not a flower.

* * *

They put a statue on your grave today, Link.

The king ordered it done, commissioned the foremost sculptor in the land, approved the design, and spared no expense to have it placed on the anniversary of your death. There was a ceremony, speeches about how much the world owes the Hero of Time, prayers to the goddesses to protect Hyrule and live up to your legacy. Your son has grown into a fine man, you know. You should be proud.

But they've got your face wrong. It's too angry and determined, and your whole body is posed like you're in the middle of a battle. Nobody seems to remember that dopey grin you used to wear while telling a joke, or the way your face would scrunch up when you were crying, or the way you'd chew on your lip when you were worried. And they forgot all about me—they didn't even _try_ to add me hovering over your head or your shoulder to guide your way.

I'm sorry I'm not guiding you anymore. I can't even perch on your statue's shoulder and pretend. My wings don't work; I can't fly anymore.

Still, I'll stay here and keep you company.

* * *

They paved a road over your grave today, Link.

The world has gotten so loud and strange over the last—how long has it been? Hundreds, thousands of years? I can't keep track anymore. There is no king anymore, and everyone looks so much like each other that I can't even tell who's a Goron and who's a Gerudo anymore. People use strange machines to zip around, and that's why they need so many roads.

But they forgot you, Link. After the weathering of so many years, and the wars and movements of so many people, your statue got broken and worn down till it was unrecognizable. No one could read the inscription anymore, and I doubt they'd know who you were anyway. They don't know the sacrifices that make their easy lives possible.

I'm sorry I couldn't stop them. I'm sorry dozens of those machines zip over your grave so loudly every day. I wonder if it disturbs your slumber, or if you're just glad there are still the noises of life, free from Ganondorf's destruction.

Still I remain, occasionally drawing second glances from children or the more observant, but they always continue busily on their way.

I think I'd rather stay here.


	32. Night

**Author's Note: Oh my goodness, this prompt was so** _ **generic**_ **it was almost impossible to come up with something for it. Finally I had to just pull something out of the hat—ahahaha, lookit me being clever.**

 **Timeline: None**

 **Theme 32: Night**

Link probably thinks I'm awfully lazy.

He teases me about it sometimes, or complains when he's in a bad mood. "You're always taking a nap under my hat," he'll say. "I never knew such a tiny creature would need so much sleep. It must be because you're so rambunctious all the time."

He doesn't get it, but if he hasn't figured it out yet, I'll go along with the joke. I don't mind; I know he doesn't _actually_ care if I keep zipping under his hat and sleeping on top of his head while he plods along on two feet.

See, the thing is...I never sleep at night. No, no, it's not a fairy thing, just a me thing. A Navi-you're-being-stupid-but-I-can't-help-it thing. It's a habit that started when we first left Kokiri Forest, and I haven't stopped since. I'll probably keep doing it until he's old and grey and _he's_ the one who sleeps most of the day away.

Now, I don't fool myself into thinking I can be much help when it comes to protecting Link from the dangers of the night. I'm only a very small creature, after all; the most I could do is just distract any attackers and make a lot of noise. But I keep watch all night anyway, just so no one can sneak up on Link while he's sleeping. Even the precautions he takes in dangerous places, like sleeping in trees or lighting a fire and keeping his sword loosened in his sheath...well, they just aren't enough. _Anything_ could sneak up on him, and if I wasn't around to warn him, they'd chop him up like a sleeping pig.

So I keep watch all night, and let him sleep peacefully, thinking he's a light enough sleeper that he'll wake up at the slightest sound when really I kick him on the nose if anything suspicious comes poking around. It can be a kind of boring job sometimes, but it's one I'll gladly do if it means keeping Link safe.

Of course, the worst thing is when it's _not_ a boring night. And I don't just mean those nights when a Stalchild or a Poe decides they fancy a taste of Hylian. No...some nights, Link faces foes that I can't help him fight.

The few times he's talked about it, Link told me he's always had terrible nightmares, as far back as he can remember. It's not every night, but far more often than seems normal to _me._ I mean, Link has never really been the same as the people around him, and I guess it makes sense that his mind would torment him more than people who feel like they know exactly what their place is.

He doesn't always tell me what his dreams are about, but I can tell when he has one of the bad ones. He'll toss and turn in his sleep, getting all sweaty but shivering at the same time, and sometimes he'll cry out or talk, or wake up with a start, gasping like someone just dumped him in a river. Sometimes I can tell from what he says what he's dreaming about, like the one where he starts sobbing, "I'm sorry, Great Deku Tree..." That one's pretty obvious.

But a lot of the time, I don't know what he's dreaming, and I don't know how to help. I can wake him up, and sometimes if I stroke his cheek for a while he'll calm down again. Then he'll wake up in the morning, and he'll be quiet for a while. He'll look pale and tired, like he didn't even sleep at all. Then he'll try to shake it off and return to his old self again.

He can pretend to everyone else, maybe even to himself, but I can see the truth. I just wish there was some way I could ease his burden a little bit more. For now, the least I can do is give up my nights to keep vigil.


	33. Expectations

**Author's Note: Can you imagine what it must be like to wake up and immediately have some old guy tell you that you're the only hope for the entire world and oh, by the way, now you're an adult even though a second ago you could have sworn you were a kid. No training, no time to catch your breath. Go save the world from the most evil menace it's ever faced! Good luck! I think even someone with the Triforce of Courage would be terrified.**

 **Timeline: Adult; right after getting out of the Chamber of the Sages**

 **Theme 33: Expectations**

Link made it as far as the front steps of the Temple of Time before he had to stop. He'd barely been awake for an hour, but already he was ready to quit. To just lie down and give up completely.

Slowly, he sank onto the cold stone steps and stared with dismay at the little courtyard in front of the temple, now overgrown with weeds and dead thorn bushes. The wind howled forlornly through the broken stones of the wall that closed the temple off from the rest of the town.

Dark brownish clouds swirled overhead, like someone had flung a muddy river into the sky. Did Ganondorf's evil extend even to the heavens above? He supposed that shouldn't come as such a surprise—not when Ganondorf had seized the Triforce and turned the Sacred Realm into a place of darkness and horror.

And he was supposed to stop all this. He had been given the task of restoring Hyrule to peace and beauty. He alone.

The weight of everyone's expectations crashed down on his shoulders. He cowered down, hugging shoulders that were much too broad, shivering in the chill wind. "I can't do this," he whispered, his tongue thick and clumsy after seven years of silence. When he whispered, he could almost pretend that his voice hadn't suddenly dropped into the rich baritone of a man full grown. "I can't... It's impossible..."

"Well, of course it will be if you keep telling yourself that," a warm voice said next to his ear.

Link turned his head and gazed at the ball of blue light resting on the edge of his bent elbow. He could almost make out her tiny legs swinging back and forth.

Navi was the one thing that hadn't changed while he'd been asleep. She was the one spot of light in this harsh, depressing reality. The one piece of his childhood he could still hold on to. Seven years in an enchanted slumber hadn't changed an ounce of her enthusiasm or determination.

"Do you think I can do this?" Link asked hoarsely, the fear almost choking him.

She fluttered up to his face, hovering at eye level. "I _know_ you can."

A wave of warmth washed over him as he stared at her indistinct blue glow. She didn't _expect_ him to save the world. She wasn't just waiting to be disappointed when he failed, like Rauru telling him about his destiny or Sheik telling him everyone in Hyrule depended on him.

For Navi, there was no question. He could do it. He _would_ do it. She had been with him every step of his journey, unlike the Sage who dwelt only in the Sacred Realm, or a Sheikah bard who had appeared out of nowhere talking as if he knew everything about Link's life.

"I guess you would know," Link said, holding out a finger for Navi to alight on, "wouldn't you?"

Navi giggled, a sound like rain tapping on tiny silver bells. "Hey, maybe you _did_ get some wisdom from your seven-year nap."

So Link rose from the steps of the Temple of Time, and turned to face his destiny.


	34. Stars

**Author's Note: I felt like exploring Link's side of "Night." I like the thought that they both have things they** _ **don't**_ **share with each other, when I imagine they talk about pretty much everything else.**

 **Timeline: None**

 **Theme 34: Stars**

Navi probably thinks I'm awfully ungrateful.

I don't think she's realized it yet, but I know that she watches over me while I sleep. Every time I wake up in the middle of the night, whether it's because of nightmares or just that I can't sleep, she's there—awake and ready to help me. Sometimes she'll sing me a lullaby that reminds me of the wind rustling in the branches of Kokiri Forest. Sometimes she'll just sit with me and we'll gaze up at the stars until the sun peeks over the horizon.

I've always had trouble sleeping. I lie down and I just keep thinking of everything that's happened, and I can't put my mind to rest no matter how tired I am. When I was just a child, I would think of all the mean or insensitive things the other Kokiri had said to me. I would think of how different I was, or how much I wanted to be like them. I have much more important things to worry about now, but often what keeps me awake the longest are the same thoughts as always: That I'm alone.

No matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, I will never really fit in with other Hylians. I never fit in with the Kokiri because I _wasn't_ a Kokiri. But even though I am a Hylian, I will never really be one of them. I've become something different after all these adventures. Not something better, not something worse. Just different.

I will never be able to laugh and relax easily like townsfolk in times of peace. I will never be able to settle down in any one location, not when I've seen so much beauty and so much to care for in all the regions of Hyrule. No one will understand what it's like to live a life like this, always on the move, living by the sword and the bow.

No one except Navi. She's here even after I leave the town behind, even after I've rescued those who need saving, even after I've restored peace and light back to some corner of this land I love. She sees that the darkness I push back by day overshadows me by night. She's so small, but she does what she can.

But I never thank her for what she does at night. I don't know why. I never even acknowledge that I know she keeps watch and stays alert through the whole night just in case I need her. I just lie still and control my breathing, and I don't think she's figured it out even now.

The thing is...I don't know what to say. I've never been good with words, and even after all this time, I haven't figured out how to thank her. She forces herself to stay awake every single night, even though that means she's reduced to taking naps in my hat whenever she can snatch a few minutes. She started doing this without me asking her, and she continues to do it without fail.

She is my companion when no one else even considers that I need one. How do I thank her for that?

So I stay silent. And I continue to accept her gifts. I hate myself sometimes, but I think maybe...maybe some day I will know what to say. Maybe when all of this is over, I will tell her just how much it meant to me to have her as the bright star to lead me out of the darkness.


	35. Hold My Hand

**Author's Note: Ugh, this took forever to come up with. In most stories, this would probably spark plenty of different scenarios, but the thing is...because of the size difference, it's basically** _ **impossible**_ **for Link and Navi to hold hands. Eventually, I decided I could only go for some kind of situation like this.**

 **Timeline: Child; first time scaling Death Mountain**

 **Theme 35: Hold my hand**

When the Gorons had told him a beautiful fairy lived on top of Death Mountain and recommended that he go see her before continuing his quest, Link hadn't realized just how hard it would be to get there. First there had been a steep incline, then a deadly rockslide he'd barely escaped with his life, and now he was climbing a sheer cliff face with his bare hands and no rope whatsoever.

 _That's the last time I listen to a Goron's recommendation,_ Link thought, unable to spare a breath to say it aloud.

His arms burned, his feet ached, sweat poured down his face and his back from the exertion and the noonday sun. He couldn't crane his neck back to see how close he was to the top without blinding himself, and he didn't dare look down past his feet. The last time he'd glimpsed the sheer drop to the jagged rocks far below, he'd nearly lost his grip.

But the more he thought about how he _couldn't_ let go, the more horrible consequences of falling kept occurring to him, the weaker his hands felt. His palms were slippery with sweat, his fingers trembling as he wedged them into the next crack and hauled himself a few feet closer to the top.

 _Don't slip, don't fall, don't slip, don't fall,_ he kept chanting to himself. He tried to use the rhythm of the words to keep himself moving.

He was just beginning to wonder how he would get back down when it happened. The Skulltula came out of nowhere, scuttling across the rock wall with a swift ease that Link would have envied if he hadn't been so busy gasping with terror. Normally, Skulltulas weren't worth even a second of worry. Just pull out his slingshot and lob a Deku seed at it, and it would fall to the ground with its legs waving in the air.

But he couldn't reach his slingshot _or_ the pouch full of Deku seeds. He was clinging to the cliff with both hands, and if he let go...

"HYAAAAA!" a tiny voice shrieked, and a ball of blue light darted out from under Link's hat. It flew directly towards the Skulltula, which only had a moment to pause in alarm before a tiny fairy foot kicked one of its many beady eyes. With a squeaking sound, the Skulltula lost its grip on the wall and fell to the ground far below.

"Take _that!_ " Navi cried with satisfaction.

"Tha..." But Link couldn't even draw enough breath to thank her. His whole body was trembling with exertion. He needed to focus on getting to the top. It wasn't much farther... _surely_ it wasn't much farther...

Suddenly, the fingers of his right hand slipped out of the crack they'd been clutching to, and he was dangling only by one hand and the tips of his toes.

"Oh no!" Navi darted down to his free hand, flailing weakly in the air. "Quick, hold my hand!" She wrapped her tiny arms around his thumb and heaved, but only succeeded in raising his arm a foot or so.

Link had no breath to spare for pointing out the obvious: There was no way Navi could save him. All he could do was hang on for dear life for the few precious seconds he had left, and stare in terror at his friend.

Navi dropped Link's hand near the wall, obviously giving up on saving him. Link managed to snag his fingertips on a small protrusion of the rock, but it did little to take his weight off the rest of his aching limbs. And he certainly couldn't keep climbing. But Navi flew up to the edge of the cliff, shouting over her shoulder, "I'll be right back! Don't you dare move!"

If he'd been able to do more than gasp, Link might have laughed bitterly. There wasn't much he could do about this situation either way. The seconds oozed by, till it seemed he had been clinging to this cliff for hours. He didn't think his screaming muscles could hold him up any longer, but he made them do so anyway.

And then it happened. One of his feet slipped out of its tiny foothold, and his fingers slipped out of the cracks. With a cry, he began to fall to his death, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to watch the ground rushing up to meet him. No wonder this place was called Death Mountain...

Suddenly, his downward movement jerked to a halt. Link opened his eyes in surprise to find that his entire body was glowing. Or more accurately, his body was surrounded by dozens of tiny glowing bodies—fairies clutching his hair and clothes, tugging him upwards or pushing from beneath. Navi was clutching his thumb again, her wings beating harder than he'd ever seen.

Finally, the cloud of fairies deposited him on a broad, flat shelf near the very peak of Death Mountain. Link collapsed in a heap, clutching the stony ground with shaking, scraped hands and trying not to sob in relief. Some of the fairies collapsed around him, exclaiming over how heavy such a small boy was.

Navi landed right in front of his face, dropping onto her back and kicking up her legs in a small puff of dust. "Fairy fountain," she panted. "Just...had to tell them...what happened..."

Link was still too out of breath to say anything in reply. But he gazed at his fairy and hoped his eyes could tell her everything.


	36. Precious Treasure

**Author's Note: I have many unpopular opinions about the Zelda franchise, one of which is that I actually prefer Phantom Hourglass to Wind Waker. I know a lot of people who are very fond of WW, but I ended up enjoying PH much more. I think I liked the scale better—fewer sidequests distracting from a plot that still felt enough like a world-ending crisis, even though Ganon wasn't involved. I also liked how challenging the Temple of the Ocean King was, especially in this day and age where far too many games cater to lazy/casual gamers. But all of those reasons pale in comparison to a very simple one: Ciela. You all know by now how much I love Navi, so I think you'll understand how my heart leapt when I heard her cheery little, "Hey!" that sounds** _ **exactly**_ **like Navi.**

 **Then one day my sister and I were talking about PH, and out of nowhere we came up with this idea. I actually got tears in my eyes when I realized what it all meant. This little AU has healed wounds I've been carrying in my heart for something like fifteen years. That might sound overly dramatic for a 1998 game, but that's just how my heart works. I didn't know how much I needed this until I wrote it. And don't worry, there will be a continuation chapter later on.** **Also, I'm working on my memory of PH and what details I found on the Zelda wiki, so my apologies if there's something in here that's horribly inaccurate.**

 **Timeline: Phantom Hourglass AU**

 **Theme 36: Precious Treasure**

Ciela watched as the mists thickened, creating an opaque curtain between her and Link. Shutting out the world she had come to know and love. Closing a door on a cherished chapter of her life. She watched until Link's wide eyes faded from view—filled with sadness, but also acceptance. He understood (as much as he could) what she was, and why she couldn't stay with him. He didn't need her. He had Tetra and her crew, not to mention Linebeck (small comfort though that might be) and all the other friends he had made along the way.

Finally, Ciela turned away from the wall of mists to face her companions. The other Spirits fluttered over the Ocean King's head, watching her. The fairies' gazes were curious, while the tufted eyes of the enormous whale blinked slowly, as if in a nod. "Well, then, Ciela," the Ocean King said in his deep, booming voice, "now that the world has been saved...there is a choice laid before you."

"Choice?" Neri asked, bobbing up and down in confusion. "What's he talking about, Ciela?"

Ciela gazed into the Ocean King's warm eyes, full of the wisdom of the ages. Ever since she had regained her memories and remembered what she was, this knowledge had been lurking in the back of her mind. There had been too much going on to think of it, too much at stake to work through what it all meant. But now that Bellum was defeated and she no longer had to worry for the immediate safety of her friends and everyone else in the world, she reached into those dark corners of her mind and fully embraced the knowledge hiding there.

"I wasn't always the Spirit of Courage and Time," Ciela said softly, looking down at her hands that glowed golden against the grey-blue of the sea below. "Or...maybe I was...and I just hadn't awoken yet. I wasn't ready for this much power...this much responsibility..."

"What do you mean?" Leaf fluttered closer, peering at her as if trying to detect some difference in her appearance. "Haven't we always been the Three Spirits?"

"No..." Ciela said slowly, thinking hard. "I mean, yes..."

"You have always been the Spirit of Courage, Ciela," the Ocean King rumbled, his voice sending ripples in all directions. "It merely took Time for you to realize it."

Ciela listened closely to his words. She could practically _feel_ the wisdom dripping from them. She had to stretch so far back to remember what it was like before she knew she was the Spirit of Courage that it almost hurt. But there was something back there she needed to remember...something so important she had guarded it carefully against the wear of time. As a fairy and a spirit, she could go on living for hundreds of years—thousands of years, maybe even forever—and like anyone else's, her memories began to fade.

But now it was like she had reached for a small chest in a dusty corner of her mind, a precious treasure like the ones they had pulled up from the bottom of the ocean. And when she opened it up, its contents were intact even after all this time.

A life. A face. A name.

"Link," she breathed. Not the Link she had just said goodbye to—not the Link who always talked about his sister and his grandmother, not the Link who reefed sails and weighed anchor and outmaneuvered pirates like he'd been born on the waves. It was another boy with blond hair and blue eyes, another boy dressed all in green, another strong hand holding a sword, another voice crying out as he fought to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

The other Link was a lonely boy who had grown up in the forest, not a happy child who played on the calm beach of a sunny island. The other Link had faced hardship and prevailed. He had known loss and grief and fear, but he never backed down. She had seen him smile, heard him laugh, smelled his sweat and felt the warmth of his touch.

He would reach out to cup his hands around her, he would pull her up to the side of his cheek, and he would whisper...

"Navi!"

Ciela opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, and found the others watching her. The Ocean King blinked patiently, as if he knew exactly what was spinning through her mind, while Leaf and Neri frowned in consternation.

"My name was Navi," she whispered, looking down at her glowing body again. "And...I used to be blue..."

"Like me?" Neri asked, bobbing with a startled jangling sound.

"But there was a boy!" Ciela said, ignoring Neri and flying closer to one of the Ocean King's eyes. "Another boy named Link! It was...another time, another place... And we were trying to go back in time, but then...we got separated."

The Ocean King blinked again. "The winds of time blew you here, my dear," he said calmly. "It was that journey that awoke the powers that slept within you. And a good thing, too," he added, a smile crinkling his eyes, "for we greatly needed those powers in this time."

"But...what about Link?" Ciela demanded. "My Link, I mean the old Link, I mean...you know what I mean! What happened to him?"

The Ocean King closed his eyes and dipped his head slightly. "I am the spirit of the oceans, Ciela. I do not know everything."

Ciela thought carefully for a moment, but she knew that her mind was already made up. "I have to go back to him," she said. "I remember him...calling my name, screaming as he went one direction and I another..." She thought of the fear in his eyes then, and somehow she knew that he had set out looking for her. That he had searched high and low, trying in vain to reach her when all along, she had been blown so far into the future that his life's quest was hopeless from the beginning.

"You mean...you're leaving?" Neri asked in a small, stunned voice.

"But we just found each other again!" Leaf protested.

Ciela smiled sadly and took one red hand and one blue in her own golden ones. She looked into the faces of her friends, thinking over the long ages they had spent together, protecting the world and upholding order. "The world is safe now," she said. "And I'm leaving it in good hands. You'll watch out for Link, won't you? This Link, I mean. He'll do fine on his own. He has such wonderful friends, and so many bright things waiting for him in his future. But the other Link..."

She looked wistfully out to sea, as if she could see his form on the horizon. "He needs me. I don't regret the time I spent here with you, but...I think that's where I'm supposed to be now. Or then. Or...you know what I mean!"

Neri squeezed her hand and smiled bracingly. "Then go. I think you know what you're doing."

But Leaf looked worried. "Will you be able to go so far back in time, though? It sounds like you traveled a long way just to get here. Can you find your way back?"

At that, Ciela smiled confidently and put her hands on her hips. "Well, I _am_ the Spirit of Time, aren't I? I should be able to handle a little time travel, don't you think, Gramps?"

"Yes," the Ocean King said slowly, "but it will require vast amounts of power to travel so far. The magic blew you here last time, but now you will have to provide the power yourself to make the journey. If you do this, you will no longer have the power of the Spirit of Time."

That dampened Ciela's spirits a little. She knew what that meant: This was a one-way trip, and there could be no mistakes. If she ended up in the wrong time, she couldn't try again. And she would never be able to go back to this time to start over or see her friends again.

"This is the choice you must make," the Ocean King said. "Think carefully before you decide."

But Ciela—Navi—smiled softly. "I made my choice hundreds of years ago."

She raised her hand in farewell to her friends, and the golden glow of her body grew brighter and brighter till it was all she could see. She felt the rush of time pushing her backward, faster and faster, hurtling through the ages to a time before waters covered the earth.

The glow seeped out of her body, and with it she could feel her power over time leaking away. It left her body glowing blue—less vivid than Neri's body, but somehow more natural. She was diminished, but she didn't really mind.

Who needed to be the Spirit of Time when she could be the guardian fairy of the Hero of Time?


	37. Eyes

**Author's Note: Fair warning, this chapter gets kind of graphic in the torture department, even for me DX The inspiration for this chapter came from one of the unlikeliest of places: the horror game Spooky's Jump-Scare Mansion. That game is kind of a parody of all the most famous horror games, and horror games in general, while also being simultaneously adorable and legitimately terrifying. It's one-of-a-kind, you have to experience it for yourself to really understand. Anyway, every hundred floors or so as you progress through this mansion, you come across a new monster that is heavily based on some other game or trope. I was surprised and thrilled when I came to a level that was very obviously based on Majora's Mask! The monster is the Happy Mask Salesman, and you have to keep him in sight at all times or he...well, he does what I have Dark Link do in this chapter. I couldn't come up with a plausible reason for the Happy Mask Salesman to do something like this—besides, I'd already done a chapter with him being all creepy in "Misfortune." So I turned to the next plausible villain instead.**

 **Timeline: Adult; AU at some point mid-game**

 **Theme 37: Eyes**

Link staggered, shaking uncontrollably, down the hallway. His boots rasped against the rough stone of the floor, and he trailed one hand along the cold stones of the wall, for the support as much as to keep his bearings.

The hallway was pitch black. Link liked to think in those terms, because if he thought too much about the full truth ( _everything is pitch black_ ), he was sure he would curl up into a ball on the floor and never be able to rise again.

" _Go on, then," the monster who imitated his voice cackled. "Let's see how you fare. If you manage to find your way out of my dungeon, I might just let you live. But you would be wise to give up your quest once you do. Nothing will stand between Lord Ganon and the Triforce, so step aside if you would not be crushed."_

When he almost ran headfirst into a wall running perpendicular to the one he was following, Link pressed his face into the corner of the two walls and tried not to sink down to the floor. Tiny, pathetic sobs shook his shoulders, but no tears stung his eyes. It was drops of blood, not tears, that trailed down his cheeks. Somehow, he thought it might have been easier to bear if he could just cry. But the knowledge that he could never weep again only drove the horror home more effectively than ever.

Because he had no eyes. They were gone.

 _Dark Link's laughter rose, louder even than Link's screams. Leather straps held Link in place on the rough wooden table, and he knew they were strong enough to hold even a Goron in place, but he struggled against them anyway. He couldn't see Dark Link, but he could hear him—cackling and scraping the jagged, bloody knife against the edge of the table just to watch Link flinch. Link could still feel the awful tearing sensation as that knife cut into his flesh..._

Link bent over and retched, but nothing came out. His stomach had already emptied itself all over his filthy tunic, but everything in him recoiled from the horror lodged permanently in his memory.

Suddenly a new voice echoed down the hallway. "Link!"

For one wild second, his heart lurched as his mind leapt to Dark Link, back for more. But then he realized the voice was much higher, and muffled as if spoken through a cloth. "Sh-Sheik?"

"Oh, thank the goddesses, I—"

His voice cut off abruptly as Link raised his head.

"Din's blazes!" Sheik swore explosively after a moment of stunned silence. Link had never heard the stoic bard use such an epithet before.

He couldn't stop shivering, thinking about what Sheik must be looking at. Blood smeared all over his face, two dark cavities where his eyes should be...

"Come, Hero," Sheik said, his voice softer than ever before. Link felt his slender arms wrap around him, enveloping him with warmth. "I took your gear from the Moblin guards; we can use Farore's Wind to get out of here..."

Clinging desperately to Sheik's welcome warmth, Link felt the familiar rush of power around him, like a warm breeze through the treetops that swept him away from this terrible place. But even when he felt sunshine on his face and knew they were outside the terrible black fortress Dark Link had lured him into, the chill of that dungeon clung to him like cobwebs. Maybe it was because he couldn't see the change. Maybe this darkness would be all he ever saw, for the rest of his life.

Link's knees buckled, and Sheik's arms tightened around him, struggling to keep him from falling to the ground. He longed to let the darkness take him to sweet oblivion, where he wouldn't have to face what had been done to him. But one thought made him cling desperately to consciousness. He gripped what he thought was Sheik's shoulder.

"Navi," he croaked. "Where..."

"She's still at Lon Lon Ranch," Sheik said, his voice trembling. Was he...crying?

"Lon Lon..." But they were days away from the ranch, clear over near Lake Hylia. And he had _seen_ Dark Link disappearing into the castle, clutching a jar with his blue fairy inside...

Something smooth and hard pressed against his lips; Link recoiled at first, then realized it was the lip of a bottle. "Drink," Sheik said, tipping the bottle so its contents poured into his mouth.

The taste was familiar in his mouth. Red potion.

" _Now, now, take your medicine, little hero. I can't have you dying on me when the fun's only half started, now can I?"_

 _Tears clouded his one remaining eye, but he could still see his nemesis leering down at him, holding a bottle of red potion. Link spluttered as pitch-black fingers pinched his nose closed and tipped the potion into his mouth. He had to swallow. The potion couldn't bring back the eye that had been cut out, but it could keep him from the death he was beginning to think would be a sweet release._

Link coughed, gagging on the bitter taste of the potion. He had never minded the flavor before, knowing the drink was good for him. But he never wanted to taste it again.

Thankfully, Sheik put the bottle away. "I don't know if you're up to another teleport in this state," he said uncertainly, "but we certainly can't stay here, and even Epona would take too long to get to safety. I'm sorry, Link. You can rest soon."

He shifted his grip on Link, and in moments he heard the gliding, golden notes of the harp. It played a song he'd never heard before, but it was one that made him think of soft hay and warm milk, of good food and crickets chirping tranquilly in the evening...

The whole world tipped and overturned, and it felt like his heart had gotten twisted up with his stomach and then lodged in his throat. He wanted to scream, he was sure he would throw up or faint or explode...and suddenly it was all over. With a sudden jerk, everything returned to normal.

Sweat poured down his face as he sagged against Sheik. He was dimly aware of Sheik dragging him, begging him to walk, then another pair of strong arms wrapping around him and dragging him upwards, as if they were trying to carry him up to the sky.

He must have blacked out at some point, because the next thing he knew, he lay flat on his back on a soft mattress, and voices spoke over his head somewhere, discussing what they needed to do with him. Capable, callused hands wrapped something soft around his head. A bandage, protecting his empty sockets from further damage even though the potion had done most of the job of healing already.

"Nnn..." he groaned, trying to speak. The voices fell silent, and he made another attempt. "Na..."

Then the blessed sound of tinkling footsteps approached his ear. "I'm here," Navi whispered, stroking the side of his face with such gentleness that Link gasped, once again feeling like he would cry even though he had no more tears.

"He...never kidnapped you...did he?" Link asked hoarsely. That was the one thing he'd wondered more than anything, and Dark Link had only laughed at his distress. He was sure it would have killed him if he had escaped only to find that Navi really was stuck in that dungeon somewhere.

"No," Navi whispered, leaning against his cheek. "I...I'm so sorry, Link. I wish I could have stopped this..."

The tiniest of sensations brushed against his cheek, a soft kiss from lips smaller than the head of a pin. The tenderness of her touch was so different from everything he'd experienced in that dungeon. He didn't know how he could ever be whole again, but he thought maybe...just maybe...Navi could piece him back together again.


	38. Abandoned

**Author's Note: See? You didn't have to wait too long for the continuation of "Precious Treasure." I thought it would be nice to see Link's side of things, and get a bit of a glimpse into what this separation has done to him. I've often observed that the one leaving has an easier time of it than the one being left. And now the wound left behind by Ocarina of Time has been completely healed, and I feel at peace with it for the first time in my life.**

 **Timeline: Adult; right after "Precious Treasure"**

 **Theme 38: Abandoned**

Link trudged through the rain, leading Epona and watching his feet squelching through the muddy path. Epona had thrown a shoe on their way back to Hyrule Castle, but thankfully they were only a mile or two from Lon Lon Ranch. They could stop off there, get a hot meal, dry off by the fire, and maybe grab a jug of milk or two for the road.

Link didn't know where he would be sent next in service of his kingdom, but even though he'd only just returned from a month in southern Hyrule, he couldn't wait to leave again. Ever since he'd been knighted, he found himself wandering farther and farther from the central region he knew so well. It was almost as though he were searching for something...except that he'd given up hope of finding anything long ago.

Exhaustion tugged his eyelids down and made his limbs feel as waterlogged and heavy as his clothes. He could easily have banished this rain—flitted over to Lake Hylia and played the Song of Storms there to draw the rainclouds away—but he wasn't very close to any warp points, and Epona needed seeing to. Besides, he just couldn't dredge up the willpower to do anything but trudge forward on the path opening at his feet.

That was a metaphor for his whole life, wasn't it? For seven long years, he'd tried to forge his own way, searching for that one missing piece that would give sense to everything he'd been through. But no matter how far he walked, in the end he discovered he was still on the same path leading into the mist. There was no light to show him the way. No signposts telling him where he was going. Just a path leading from nothing, into nothing. He could keep plodding forward, or he could lie down and die.

And how tempting the latter had often seemed, especially in this past year since he had finally given up his own wanderings and accepted the knighthood Queen Zelda had been threatening him with ever since she took the throne. Maybe that was why he always volunteered for the most trying, dangerous tasks that few dared to take up. Perhaps, even though his survival instinct remained intact enough to keep him from leaping off a cliff, he secretly hoped some fell beast would slay him one day.

After all, what was the point anymore?

Epona pulled a little ahead, tugging on the reins, as they neared her home. The lighted windows shone through the dreary curtain of rain, promising warmth and shelter. Link sighed. He wished he could still take joy in such things as he once had. He felt like an old man, creaking and groaning as he shifted around, unable to find a comfortable position in his luxurious feather bed. It didn't matter how many comforts surrounded him, Link would never really find comfort in this world anymore. That had left him along with his hope.

Slowly, his feet faltered and he came to a stop. Epona looked back at him quizzically, confused as to why they were stopping so close to home. She nudged his arm, then tugged at the reins, but he didn't move. He let the reins slip from his fingers as both hands dangled by his sides. Epona took a few steps away, then looked back and puffed out a bewildered breath.

Link's fingers brushed the pouch that held his ocarina. It would be so easy to put an end to this awful emptiness in the pit of his stomach. He could go to the crater of Death Mountain right now, and just stand there as his flesh was burned from his bones within minutes. Or he could put on his iron boots and hop into Lake Hylia without wearing the special gear the Zora had given him. He could even surround himself with bombs if he wanted to literally go out with a bang.

What was there left for him here anyway? Everyone had abandoned him. Most of his closest friends were Sages, watching over the world from a distance. Malon had married a man from Kakariko, who was learning the ways of the ranch from Talon and Ingo. Zelda had her kingdom to run, and not much time to spare for the likes of him.

 _Hey..._

And of course there was the first one to abandon him, the hole in his heart he tried so hard to avoid thinking about.

 _Listen..._

But of course, that was the one thing he couldn't _stop_ thinking about, not for seven years. For the first six of those years, he had firmly believed he would find her again, that all of his hard work would pay off. But now he knew the truth: The world was cruel, and if there really was a destiny laid on him, it was to be the most miserable man in all of Hyrule.

"Would you _listen_ to me when I'm talking to you?"

Link blinked rain out of his eyes and frowned in confusion. He'd thought the familiar voice was only in his head, but now he realized those words had been calling through the rain for several minutes.

Slowly, he turned around and saw something he had long ago given up hope of ever seeing again: a blue fairy bobbing up and down in the air in front of him. Most people would probably only notice the basic color of any individual fairy, and not be able to tell one from another. But Link had grown up among the Kokiri and their guardian fairies, and he had learned how to tell the subtle differences between them even when they didn't speak.

"What?" he breathed.

"It's me, Link," she said, a soft smile evident in her voice.

And _oh,_ that voice. It was the one thing he had longed to hear above all others. And now, his deepest wish had come true.

"No," he said, shaking his head and slowly backing away. "This...is a dream."

"It's not a dream," she said gently. "This is really happening. I know it's hard to believe, but I really am here."

Sudden anger blazed from the hole that had drilled all the way through his heart. "Stop lying to me!" he shouted. "Why are you tormenting me like this? Do you have _any_ idea how much this hurts?"

"I'm so sorry it's taken me this long. I was pulled away from you, and then I couldn't get back for the longest time. I seem to have messed up a little; I was trying to get back to the moment I first left, but you're already an adult... I'm so sorry, Link."

It was the way she said his name that finally convinced him. No trickster could possibly imitate that gentle inflection she gave his name, making the word sound like a caress. No one else said it quite the same as she did.

His legs gave out, and he sat down hard in a muddy puddle in the road. "Navi?"

"Yeah." She fluttered forward till her glow was all he could see, and rubbed a hand down the length of his nose. "It's me."

A violent sob broke free of his throat, as though it had been lodged there for seven years and had finally found a way out. "I l-looked for you," he choked, warm tears mingling with the cold rain on his face. "I looked _everywhere._ But...B-But I couldn't...I couldn't find you...an-and I was all _alone..._ "

"Shhh," Navi soothed, the light tickle of her tiny fingers brushing against his cold cheeks. But every movement she made, every word she uttered, only made his heart ache more than ever. There had been a knife lodged in his chest, and now she was pulling it out and letting the blood pour from the wound.

"It's all right," she whispered, as he cupped his hands around her and squeezed as tightly as he dared. "I'm here, and I'll never leave you again. I promise."


	39. Dreams

**Author's Note: The intro of the game has always intrigued me. Specifically, the end of the intro where you see a short clip from much later in the game. I've always wondered why they chose to put those in. When I got to those scenes in the game, I felt such a strong sense of deja vu. (But then, I also felt a really strong sense of deja vu when I finally beat Bongo-Bongo for the first time, and I'm pretty sure you never see him anywhere prior to that.) So I was thinking about what the Great Deku Tree says to Link when they first meet: "Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares. As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it." And that got me wondering if Link would experience something like this...**

 **Timeline: None**

 **Theme 39: Dreams**

For as long as he could remember, Link had had vivid dreams. Later, once he had learned the truth about himself, he wondered whether this was a trait shared by all who were chosen to bear the shards of the Triforce. The first time they met, Zelda had spoken of a dream she'd had of him: A boy dressed in green emerging from the forest with a fairy. And though Ganondorf had never confided in Link about whatever horrific things must enter his mind in sleep, there had been a knowing gleam in his eye the first time they'd come face to face. As if he, too, had seen the boy that destiny had drawn to him.

Most of the time, Link didn't consider his dreams particularly important. He wasn't a Sage like Zelda, drawing wisdom from the smallest clues; nor was he a cunning sorcerer like Ganondorf, who probably cast spells specifically to order his dreams in a way that would serve him best. The dreams just came to him in a bright, noisy jumble, and it was rare that he could make sense of them. Usually, it didn't seem like there _was_ any sense to them.

As a child, Link's dreams had just been one more thing to set him apart from the other Kokiri. Most of the inhabitants of the glade dreamed of toadstools and fairies, of rippling brooks and rustling leaves. If they ever had nightmares, it was usually nothing worse than a rainy day or a toe stubbed on a tree root. So when Link came into their midst, telling them about his dreams of hideous monsters, terrible storms, and a man with fiery eyes, no one wanted to talk to him about dreams anymore. Even Saria would delicately change the subject if he started talking about his dreams.

It was only after Navi joined him and they set off on their adventure that Link slowly began to realize there was more to his nightly visions than just a vivid imagination. Every so often, something would happen that awakened in his mind a disturbing sense of deja vu. Had he been there before? Was any of this really happening, or was he still dreaming?

The first time he saw Ganondorf, he felt his gut twist inside him, because...he had _seen_ that dark face before. The dream Navi had woken him from when they first met had been of a man dressed all in black, galloping through a dark night lit by roaring flames. Even in sleep, he had shivered with a lingering terror brought on by the evil that seemed to seep out of this man's every pore. He hadn't needed Zelda to tell him that this was the most evil man he had ever laid eyes on.

He'd also felt the same disorienting wave of deja vu the first time he'd seen Sheik. The dream had been so ambiguous that Link wasn't sure whether he should trust Sheik or not, but he could tell immediately that this was not a man to take lightly. He knew Sheik would be an important part of his quest, for good or ill.

There were many times that Link wished these dreams wouldn't plague him so relentlessly. He wished he could have normal dreams about standing in front of a large group of people with no clothes, or being late for an important meeting. Instead, he tossed and turned while his mind concocted a hundred different scenarios of darkness and danger, as if testing his mettle to be sure he was worthy of the Triforce of Courage.

A few times, he was actually grateful for the dreams. One particularly vivid dream he kept having for years involved two witches who had cornered a Gerudo warrior. They suddenly turned to Link, who stood at the far end of a long, stone-walled room, and shot twin blasts of magic at him. He puzzled over this dream for years, until finally he found himself standing in that very same room in the Spirit Temple, facing the two witches. Because of the dream, he knew exactly when to dodge away from the searing blast of magic they sent his way, and he was able to continue past the point where his dream had turned to darkness.

When he didn't know what he needed to do next, or where to turn for help, Link sometimes half-heartedly tried to sleep in the hopes that his dreams would give him the answer. This rarely worked, except that taking the time to rest sometimes gave him enough time to figure it out on his own, or for Navi to remember a vital detail that could give them the answer. Unfortunately, he could no more direct his dreams than put a stop to them, so he never knew when any of the scenes in his dreams would occur.

By far the worst of his nightmares were the ones where his friends died. He dreamed of Lon Lon Ranch burning to the ground, of Kakariko Village littered with the broken bodies of villagers he couldn't save, of Castle Town filled with the shambling corpses of those who used to live there. Some of these dreams came to pass, others merely haunted him with possibility. He often dreamed of Ganondorf gloating over the bodies of the Sages, or Zelda dying a thousand painful deaths right in front of him.

And then there was a dream that disturbed him in a different way. He didn't shake with fear when he had this dream, nor did he shed any tears over the potential that he would live to see it happen for real. But it emptied him in a way none of the other dreams did, leaving him feeling as though the dream had gouged a chunk out of his heart.

There was no death in this dream. No monsters with a taste for his blood. No raised voices or sinister words. The dream merely consisted of Link standing in the Temple of Time, watching Navi fly away from him. It wasn't just her flitting about to investigate something or scout out the area to report back to him. She rose slowly in lazy spirals, heading towards a high window glistening in the morning sunlight. Then, without even glancing back, she left through the open window and vanished.

That dream left Link feeling as helpless as if his hands were tied behind his back. He could do nothing to make her stay, and she made no explanation for why she wanted to leave. He merely watched her go, and knew deep in his heart that they would never see each other again.

When Link woke from these dreams, he would reach into his hat, pull his sleeping fairy out, and press her tiny warmth up close to his face. If the movement woke her, she would stroke his cheek and sleepily murmur, "It's okay. I'm here."

As long as she could still say that, Link could keep the dreams at bay a little longer.


	40. Rated

**Author's Note: I apologize for this travesty T_T I found it extremely hard to come up with anything for this prompt, and besides that I've been crazy busy with real-life stuff. So I'm sorry, this was the only idea I had, so you'll have to settle for this almost-crackfic. Take it as a lame attempt at a humorous interlude before I go back to the angst again.**

 **Timeline: Child**

 **Theme 40: Rated**

"Woah...that's a...big spider..."

"Don't look!"

"What...? Phthah—Navi! Get off my face!"

"No, it's too scary for a little boy like you! Look away!"

"Navi! I can't...fight...with you...gah!"

* * *

"Okay, Link, put this on while we're in here."

"What? Why do I need a blindfold? I won't be able to see where I'm going."

"You also won't be able to see...some other things."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Some—ahem—things a boy your age shouldn't be looking at."

"Navi, start making sense or I'm going to rip this blindfold off and—"

"It's just the Zora aren't...well, they don't really wear clothing..."

"The Gorons don't wear much either, but I didn't hear you complaining about their loincloths."

"Yes, but...but there are _female_ Zora! And they have no decorum! They just go waltzing about in their bare skin! At least the Goron women try to cover up a _little!_ "

"These are _fish people,_ Navi. Clothes would probably just slow them down in the water. Besides, if you're worried about my innocence, you should've tried harder to shield my eyes from those lovebirds in the Castle Town market. Blech."

"Oh, _fine._ But don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

"Ugh! What _is_ that thing?"

"Eeek! It's a Dead Hand! Run, Link, run! Don't watch, or you'll get nightmares!"

"I'm having a nightmare _now,_ Navi! The door's locked!"

"Oh no, oh no! What're we going to do? I've failed you as a guardian fairy!"

"Stop fluttering around feeling sorry for yourself, and help me cut these hands down!"

"Oh, Link, you'll be mentally scarred for life... Why did our quest have to lead down here? I've let my poor little boy down..."

"I'm mentally seventeen, okay? Now would you shut up and tell me how to fight this thing?"

"Okay, okay, let's see... Disembodied hands...enormous jaw...covered in the bloodstains of its victims... THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN E-RATED GAME!"


	41. Teamwork

**Author's Note: At last, I get the chance to continue the AU I introduced in Chapter 37, "Eyes"! From the beginning, I was intending this to be part of that storyline. Actually, I was originally going to have** _ **Navi**_ **be the one with a handicap, and they'd have to work together to overcome it. But in the end I decided it really was a better handicap for Link to have, and a more natural way for Navi to pitch in. I'll also admit that I was inspired by chapters 19 and 61 of Bookwrm389's fic** _ **Shadow of the Hero.**_

 **Timeline: Adult; after "Eyes"**

 **Theme 41: Teamwork**

 _for FriedCuccoLady, who requested this eons ago_

Being blind wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Link kept trying to tell himself that. Once all of his wounds had healed, he found that after a little practice, he could find his way around Lon Lon Ranch without too much trouble. He had visited so many times that he could navigate the layout of Malon and Talon's house by touch. He could find the barn by smell, and the horse paddock by sound. Even if he got lost or turned around, he knew that if he just kept walking forward, eventually he would run into a wall or fence that he could follow until he found some feature to tell him where he was.

He had heard before that lack of sight made other senses more acute, and that seemed to be the case. He used to think that Epona's neighs and whinnies were just like any of the other horses, but now he could tell when she was near, and even distinguish her voice from the others while he was still inside the house. The milk tasted richer and more refreshing than ever before. When Malon sang, or he played his ocarina, the music seemed to rush through him like a fire, filling him with such warmth and light it was almost like he could see again.

But every time he began to hope that he could take his life back into his own hands, something would remind him that he was no better than a cripple. At Malon's urging, Link tried to mount Epona and go for a little ride around the paddock. Malon saddled Epona for him, and for once the frisky mare didn't prance about, but stood still and quiet as if she could sense that her master needed all the extra help he could get.

First, he couldn't find the stirrup. But even when he had located it with his hands and grasped the saddle to swing himself up, it took him three tries to put his foot in the right place and boost himself into the saddle. Once he had finally situated himself, he took up the reins and tapped his heels against Epona's sides. Epona immediately began to move backwards. He tried to convince her to move forward, but she snorted in confusion and started turning around in circles.

Finally, Malon came to his rescue and led Epona around the paddock while Link sat uselessly on her back. Apparently, his posture was different ever since he'd been blinded, and Epona hadn't been able to figure out what he was telling her to do.

Every so often, Sheik would drop by to visit and check up on Link. He tried to be cheerful around the Sheikah, making light of his misfortune and not letting on how much time he spent feeling sorry for himself. But even though he couldn't see Sheik, he could feel the disappointment pouring off the bard in waves. He was probably hoping that Link would somehow miraculously heal, just because he was the Hero of Time.

Sheik brought bad tidings more often than not. Stories of more innocent villages burned to the ground, men and even boys forced to join Ganondorf's army. Death Mountain smoked nonstop, and rumbles in the earth made the people of Kakariko fear an eruption any day. Lake Hylia was completely frozen over, the ice extending back up the river to Zora's Domain. Frost was even beginning to cover the dry wastelands leading to Gerudo Desert. People were dying. Crops were failing. Some began to wonder if they would last the fast-approaching winter.

And he could do nothing. He was no hero now, not when he could barely even mount his own horse. He couldn't fight, couldn't even protect himself. He was good for nothing but sightlessly mucking the stables—and even that chore was hopelessly complicated for him now.

But then Sheik came for another visit, and not of his own volition. Talon had given him a horse as thanks for saving Link, and it found its way back home even without Sheik guiding it. Link was sitting in his room upstairs, out of the others' way, when he heard a commotion downstairs. By the time he made his way to the foot of the stairs, he could tell from Malon and Talon's words and hasty bustling that someone was wounded and lying on the kitchen table.

A shimmering, tinkling sound by his ear told Link that Navi was hovering over his shoulder. "Who is it?" he whispered to her.

"Sheik," she hissed back.

A ball of lead seemed to clunk to the bottom of his stomach. He couldn't hear any voice or sound of movement coming from the man on the table. Without being able to see, he didn't even know if he was still breathing or not. Whatever had happened out there, it was serious.

Ingo came bustling in at that moment, saying in his reedy voice, "I had to let it run free in the paddock, Talon. It's spooked, won't let me near..."

Suddenly Malon said sharply, "Dad, Ingo—I need you to leave."

"What?" Talon blustered. "B-But you can't tend to his wounds all by yourself—"

" _Right now,_ Daddy!" Malon said in a sharp tone they all knew better than to disobey. "Link, you stay here and help me. The rest of you, _out._ Draw me some water from the well if you like, but I want you out of here."

Link wasn't sure why she wanted to send away the two men who could actually _see,_ but he fumbled his way toward the table, ready to do whatever she asked. They might be Sheik's only chance. "How bad is it?" he asked, wetting lips gone suddenly dry.

"I've only seen more blood when butchering a cow," Malon said tersely. There was the sound of ripping cloth and the snipping of scissors—probably cutting Sheik's clothes so she could get at the wounds.

Navi gasped slightly, and Link cocked his head, wishing he knew why. What horrible wound had just been exposed?

But then Malon said briskly, "Link, I need you to lift her so I can wrap this bandage around her chest."

For a moment, Link had no idea who she was talking about. Why would he need to lift Navi...? But then it clicked, and his mind seemed to jam in place. " _Her?_ "

"Yes, _her,_ " Malon snapped, "and _she_ is dying, so help me, all right?"

With a start, he scurried to help. He fumbled a little at first, but then he managed to gingerly slide his arms beneath Sheik's shoulders and lift her up just enough for Malon to wrap bandages around her torso. He could feel Sheik's shallow, weak breathing on the side of his neck, and the warmth of her body next to his, though it was not as much as it should have been.

Slowly, it dawned on him why Malon had insisted on Talon and Ingo leaving, and why she had let him stay to help. Because of his blindness, he often ended up tilting his head downwards and to the side, so he could focus more on listening. He couldn't see anything, of course, but still he quickly looked away from Sheik's undoubtedly bare chest. Heat rose to his cheeks, but if Malon noticed, she said nothing.

When she was finished binding the wounds on Sheik's chest, she said, "I'll see to her legs. You take care of her arms; one of them is bleeding badly."

He could easily find that wound; her upper right arm was slick with warm blood. His fingers fumbled over it, trying to close a wound he couldn't see. "It'll need stitching," Navi spoke up from beside his ear.

Link's stomach lurched. He had sewn one or two of his own wounds shut before, but had never done it on anyone else, and _certainly_ never done it without being able to see what he was doing. "I...I can't..."

But Navi wasn't taking no for an answer. He felt a tickle of thread on the back of one hand, and a thin rod of steel heated in a flame on the other. "You have to," Navi said tensely. "Or else Sheik will die. Just do exactly what I tell you."

Cold fear closed around his throat, but he nodded once. He had to do everything he could—even if it wasn't very much at all—if he wanted Sheik to live.

"All right," Navi said gently. "Just a little bit up...to the left a bit...now, pinch it closed with your right hand..."

Following Navi's steady stream of instructions, Link slowly stitched the wound on Sheik's arm closed. His hands trembled at first, his heart pounding as he was sure he would only hurt his friend even more, or that she would bleed out in front of him and he wouldn't even be able to see it happen. But as Navi continued to talk him through it, his movements became more confident. She told him exactly what to do and where to move his hands next. All he had to do was listen to her voice, and before too long, Navi directed him through snipping off the excess thread, and he was done.

Malon finished only shortly before he did, and from the splashing sounds of water, he thought it sounded like she was trying to clean Sheik up a little. "All right," she said wearily. "I think she'll be all right for now. Can you carry her upstairs?"

Link nodded. Before taking her into his arms again, he let Malon wrap her up in a blanket. As he gingerly felt his way back upstairs, he tried not to think too much about this new revelation of her identity and what it might mean for their relationship. He had never known quite what to make of the mysterious bard, but he was even more confused now that he knew she was a woman masquerading as a man.

After carefully laying Sheik down in Malon's bed, Link groped his way back to his own room to wait and see if Sheik would live out the night. As he stood by the window, letting the cool evening air soothe his embarrassingly warm cheeks, he heard a tinkly sound float through the open door like a flock of tiny silver bells. Turning his head toward the sound, he asked, "Do you think she'll be all right?"

"Thanks to quick action and a little teamwork, I think she will." Navi dropped onto his shoulder with a tired little thump.

After a short pause, Link nodded. "Yeah...we did make a pretty good team, didn't we?"

Though he couldn't see her expression or even her body language, he could hear the shrewd look she was giving him. "What are you thinking?"

Link leaned on the windowsill, pretending he could see the setting sun even though he knew he was facing the wrong direction. "I'm thinking it's high time I get out my sword and shield. Sheik is only one person standing against this tide of evil, and it's obvious she can't do it alone. My place is out there, fighting for my kingdom."

He expected her to protest, to point out to him how improbable it would be for him to even be able to navigate Hyrule in his current state, let alone take up the task of the Hero of Time again. Instead, she just stood up and placed her hand on his cheek.

"And my place is with you. I'll be your eyes, and together we can stop this evil."


	42. Standing Still

**Author's Note: I generally operate on the assumption that Navi was put under the same enchanted sleep as Link during the seven-year interval—mostly because she sounds surprised when she first sees him as an adult. But what if she** _ **didn't**_ **sleep through the whole thing? What must it have been like for her to wait for him all that time?**

 **Timeline: Adult; seven-year slumber**

 **Theme 42: Standing still**

Standing still was not something Navi was very good at. She needed to be _doing_ something all the time—moving around, figuring out what they ought to do next, or at least talking to Link and fluttering around his head. As a fairy, it took a lot of motion to move the same distance as a human being, and Navi had plenty of energy to keep up with her active little boy.

But then their plans fell through and backfired horribly, and even though Navi didn't hesitate, there was no time to interfere. Link touched the Triforce and was instantly cast into an enchanted slumber. And all Navi could do was watch.

Thankfully, Rauru had been watching and snatched them both out of harm's way before Ganondorf, hot on their heels, could attack the defenseless boy. Navi went with him, of course, so she didn't see what happened when Ganondorf seized the Triforce and watched it splinter in his hand, but she thought a long sleep might have been a better idea for their enemy than for their hero.

Still, as Rauru explained to her, the spell could not be broken until seven years had passed. And that was an awfully long time to sit by his bedside.

She spent most of the first year dutifully fulfilling her role and biding her time. She slept some herself, making up for time lost in all of their adventures. She watched Link sleeping, breathing evenly with a face clear of all worry and stress for the first time since she'd known him. She thought long and hard over everything they'd been through, processing it all to find their mistakes and ways they could be sure not to repeat them when Link woke up.

But by the beginning of the second year, Navi was sure she was going crazy. She tried to think up games to pass the time, but the chamber of the Sages was a singularly uninspiring place, with not much to do except sit around looking sagely. She talked with Rauru some, since he was also always around, but he made her so frustrated. He was the one who had decided Link needed to wait until he was older before he could try using the Triforce. He was the reason Ganondorf had got his hands on it instead. And yet he was still convinced he'd done the right thing. It was hard not to shout at him sometimes.

After almost two years of waiting for Link to wake up, Navi realized she had started talking to herself. She had always liked to talk—sometimes people told her she talked _too_ much—but it was unbearably lonely and boring to just sit there with no conversation at all. So she filled the silence, speaking all of her thoughts out loud, sometimes even holding imaginary conversations with Link, imitating his voice and speaking for him. It was a poor substitute for the real thing, but at least she knew him well enough by that point that she could do a fairly good impression of him.

It was at least interesting to watch him grow. The changes were so imperceptible that it could be hard to notice them, but over time she began to realize he was growing taller, and the baby fat was slipping away from his face, leaving him a handsome young man rather than a boy.

Sometimes she thought she was going crazy, filled with so much boundless energy that she thought she would burst. But as the years dragged on, she found herself growing more and more lethargic. She would sit for hours on Link's chest, lulled into a stupor by the steady rise and fall off his breath. She felt like she was being pulled into his enchantment, and she almost wished that were possible. It would be so much easier to let the years slip unconsciously by.

But at last—at long, long last—the unbearable wait was over. Navi had grown so used to the monotony of waiting that she hardly knew what to do when Rauru told her the time had come for the spell to break. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and her breath drew short as she hovered over Link's still form, watching intently.

His eyelashes fluttered—his brow furrowed and scrunched up as if in immense effort—and then his eyes slowly opened. With a wave of his hand, Rauru levitated Link's body till it was positioned upright, and then slowly lowered him till his feet touched the floor and took his weight.

Link didn't say anything, just slowly blinked at Rauru and then looked down at himself. Navi could see the dawning realization cross his face of how different he looked than when he'd last opened his eyes.

"Look at you, Link," she breathed, as if afraid of breaking the silence after all this time. "You're all grown up."

And for once, she didn't want to do anything but hold still and look at him.


	43. Dying

**Author's Note: I can't remember where I first read it, but a long time ago I read a fic that gave one of the best explanations I've ever seen of why Navi would leave at the end. (Still doesn't explain why she'd leave without a single word of explanation, but I guess we can assume they talked about it beforehand?) I liked it because it gave me hope that maybe they would be reunited eventually. So I drew from that headcanon, though this story isn't about the ending.**

 **Timeline: Adult; after Shadow Temple**

 **Theme 43: Dying**

When he looked back on it later, Link would wonder how he had ever missed the signs. Navi was with him every moment of every day, sharing all of his struggles on their long, difficult quest.

Maybe it was just that Navi always seemed to have so much energy. She was always chattering away to fill the silence, or arguing with someone, or bobbing around over his head. Even though she was quite different from most fairies, she still loved to laugh and play like the fun-loving sprites Link had encountered many times in Kokiri Forest. He never saw any hint of her losing that vigor.

It happened when he emerged, begrimed and bloodstained, from the Shadow Temple to find the unnatural clouds beginning to drift away from the skies above Kakariko Village. He smiled with a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow with his right wrist, which was slightly cleaner than his blood-spattered left hand.

He was just trying to decide whether he should teleport somewhere to wash up a little before venturing into the village when he noticed that Navi wasn't spinning around excitedly and exclaiming over how beautiful everything looked now the curse was lifted, like she usually did.

"Navi?" He turned around, glancing around for the familiar winged orb of blue light, and nearly stepped on her. She lay on the ground at his feet, unmoving.

"Navi!" He dropped to his knees, bending low to look at her more closely.

The blue glow around the fairy's body was flickering and growing dimmer by the minute, like a candle that was nearly spent. The only response she gave was a twitch of her wings, accompanied by the faintest tinkling sound.

"No...wh-what's going on? Navi...help...I-I don't know what to do..."

Normally, when faced with a dire situation like this that left him clueless, he would turn to Navi for advice. She always had the answer, or at least an idea of where to start. But now, when he needed her most, she couldn't help him.

But she had been fine a moment ago, hadn't she? Link's frantic mind raced back, trying to remember what had happened after he'd defeated the hideous monster at the center of the temple. He'd been so preoccupied with watching Impa awaken as the Sage of Shadow that he hadn't particularly noticed what Navi was doing...

Had she suffered some grievous wound in the battle without him noticing? He was afraid to touch her, afraid that his huge clumsy fingers would only damage her further. But he couldn't just sit here. He had to _do_ something!

"What do I do, what do I _do?_ " he exploded, tears welling up in his eyes as he gripped his head with both hands.

A tiny, breathy sound left Navi's motionless body, as if she were trying to say something. But he couldn't hear, he couldn't understand, and no matter how many times he asked, there was no one who could help... He pulled out his ocarina in desperation, but he knew no spell that could heal a wound, or to tell him what was wrong.

For some reason, the last words he had heard before leaving the Kokiri Forest all those years ago came flooding back into his mind now. _When you play my ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit._

Of course. "Saria!" he gasped, then hastily played the notes of the song she had taught him in the Sacred Forest Meadow. A green light flickered in the air around him, as though the sun shone down on him through the fluttering leaves of a thousand trees.

 _Link?_ His oldest friend's voice spoke directly into his mind, as kind and gentle as always. _This is a surprise. I didn't expect—_

"There's something wrong with Navi!" Link burst out, cutting her off. "She...She's weak, she can't fly, she can't even _talk,_ I-I-I don't know what..." The tears that had been building up in his eyes spilled down his cheeks now as his words stumbled over each other.

Saria's voice gasped in his mind. _Take her to the forest, Link! Right away! I'll meet you in the Sacred Meadow!_

The green light winked out, but Link was already gently scooping the frail body of his friend into his hands. But he would need both hands to play the ocarina... Quickly, he yanked his hat off and placed her carefully inside. Then he sat down on the ground, laid her carefully in his lap, and played the Minuet of Forest.

A rush of magic swooshed past him, picking him up and sending him deep into the Kokiri Forest, a hundred miles away from Kakariko Village. And before Link could even reach down to make sure Navi was still safe, he was sitting in the warm, sunny glade at the very heart of the forest, with the crumbling ruins of the Forest Temple before him.

Though it had taken less than a minute to get here, Saria had already beat him there. The little green-haired girl rushed towards him with a look of great concern as Link gingerly pulled back the folds of cloth and looked down at Navi.

To his great relief, her glow pulsed a little brighter, and one wing twitched with a tinkling sound. Saria reached into Link's hat and took Navi into her hands with infinite care, drawing her out into the warm air. "There now," she said softly, leaning in so close that her breath made Navi's wings flutter slightly. "That's better, isn't it?"

And then—music to Link's ears—Navi coughed slightly and said in a weak, trembling voice, "Y-Yes...I'm okay now...I think..."

Link used his hat to wipe his eyes. "She'll...is she...going to survive?"

"Yes," Saria said, catching a green leaf out of the air as if a tree had intentionally thrown one at her and laying Navi on it as a kind of makeshift bed. She carried the fairy over to the roots of the tree stump Saria liked to sit on, and arranged her in a sheltered curve of the wood. She tugged on a bit of moss growing on the bark and draped it over Navi's body like a blanket, then sat back on her heels with satisfaction.

Link, trailing behind her and not taking his eyes off Navi for an instant, slowly sank to his knees next to the stump. Already, the fairy looked better, her glow shining brighter in the dappled sunlight of the forest. "What happened?" he whispered. "Why did she just...collapse like that?"

Saria looked up at him in surprise, cocking her head. "Because she's been away from the forest too long, of course."

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes widened. "I thought you knew that Kokiri would die if they left the forest."

Link frowned. "Of course I know that. How could I _not_ know that, when that's all anyone would say to me when I told them I was leaving? But Navi's not a Kokiri. What's it got to do with her?"

"But fairies are like Kokiri," Saria said, shaking her head as if everyone ought to know this somehow. "If they remain too long away from the place of their birth, they'll die. That's why you'll find most fairies close to a fountain."

Link felt a chill run down his spine. "You mean...every time I leave the forest...she's just slowly... _dying?_ "

But it made sense. He returned to Kokiri Forest somewhat frequently in his travels, for one reason or another. Sometimes he just needed to go back to the place that still felt like home, even if it was mostly due to familiarity rather than a sense of belonging. Sometimes he wanted to talk to Saria, or he needed a quick visit to a fairy fountain to heal a wound, and he knew there was one quite close to the Forest Temple. And every time they returned, Navi's strength would be restored again. But he hadn't ventured back here since before the Water Temple...

"S-Sorry..." Navi whispered. "I...always felt better when...when we came back, but...I didn't believe the stories...since I didn't...know you weren't a Kokiri, Link..."

"Shhh, just rest," Link soothed, holding a finger to her glow, which was now almost as bright as usual. "We know now. That's what matters. I'll make sure to come back more often." A painful lump lodged itself in his throat as he considered what would have happened if he'd been a little slower in navigating the Shadow Temple, or lingered a little longer to talk to Impa.

The tiniest of arms wrapped around his finger. There was little strength in those arms, but the warmth of her life was all he needed to feel. "You need rest too," Navi whispered. "You've...been through a lot."

Exhaustion crashed down on him at her words, as he remembered the horror and violence of the temple he'd just struggled through. It had been a more harrowing experience than any temple yet, only made worse by what had happened when they emerged. He was still filthy, and he knew he should clean himself up and make sure all of his equipment was in order, but he couldn't muster up the strength to do anything more than stretch out on the ground next to Navi and pillow his head against a tree root.

Saria got to her feet and blew a kiss at them both, letting her breath turn into a warm breeze that rustled through the trees. "Rest now," she murmured, gazing fondly down at them both. "You'll be all right in the morning."


	44. Two Roads

**Author's Note: Something I both love and hate is what the Great Deku Tree Sprout reveals of Link's backstory. I'm impressed that they even went so far as to explain why he's different from the other Kokiri (instead of just settling for mumbling about destiny and hoping no one will ask too many questions), but the few tantalizing details leave so many questions open. In the game, as soon as the backstory is over, you rush right back into the quest. But I think Link would have a lot more to ponder than just what his next step is.**

 **Timeline: Adult; after Forest Temple**

 **Theme 44: Two Roads**

Link sat on a stump in the middle of the Lost Woods. _Lost is right,_ he thought vaguely. _Lost in thought. Lost in time. Lost in myself._ He didn't know how long he'd been sitting here, but it was long enough that his muscles were growing stiff, worn out from the long struggle through the Forest Temple.

Everything seemed so much smaller in this forest now. Not only the Kokiri, who were barely taller than his waist. No, even the trees seemed smaller than they had when he'd lived here. As a boy, he'd thought this forest stretched so far that it covered the whole face of the earth, and there was nowhere one could go to escape the protective canopy of the ancient trees. He had climbed into the topmost branches of the tallest trees, and from their heights he thought he could see everything the goddesses had created.

But now he was no longer a naive Kokiri boy. Now he was a man. A Hylian man. He had seen the ways of the world, traveled all across Hyrule, and done a thousand things he would never have dreamt up in his wildest imaginings.

He should have guessed the truth the second he left the forest. The Kokiri told each other horror stories about what would happen if they set foot beyond the forest's borders, but however it happened, they all knew they couldn't survive out in the world. They were the children of the forest, so this was where they belonged. The goddesses hadn't intended them to go anywhere else.

But Link's mind had been so full of the quest the Great Deku Tree had laid on him, the need to find Princess Zelda and protect the Triforce from the grasp of evil. He simply hadn't taken the time to marvel over the ease with which he was able to leave everything he'd known behind. He never wondered why he didn't fall down dead after spending so much time away from the forest.

When he'd awoken from his seven-year slumber and saw that he had grown into a man, he knew in the back of his mind that he was no true Kokiri. He couldn't be. Kokiri never grew up. But there was so much to process, so much to be done, that he had pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He would puzzle over what had happened to him later.

But now it was later, and he knew what all this meant. The Deku Tree Sprout had spelled it all out for him, with a blunt clarity its ancient predecessor would never have displayed. He wasn't a Kokiri at all. He never had been. His Hylian mother had dragged her dying body just far enough into the forest to lay her infant son upon the roots of the Great Deku Tree.

No wonder he'd always been so different from the others. No wonder no guardian fairy had ever come to him...

"Link? Are you all right?"

He raised his head and saw Navi hovering uncertainly in front of him. He sighed and hung his head again, pressing his knuckles against his aching head. A dull throb had been building up behind his eyes ever since the battle against Phantom Ganon. Even though the physical strain was behind him, his mind hadn't let him rest for a moment since they'd emerged from the temple.

"It's okay," he told her wearily. "Don't feel like you have to stick around or cheer me up. I'm just thinking about...everything."

Silence fell between them for a few seconds, until Navi said tentatively, "Well...at least it's good to finally get some answers, right? Now you know who you really are."

"A 'child of destiny'?" Link rolled his eyes, remembering the words the Great Deku Tree Sprout had used. True, he was the Hero of Time, but it just sounded so pompous to describe himself that way.

"A Hylian," Navi corrected him quietly. "A part of the land we've been fighting so hard to save. Someone with a past, and a future."

A small, sad smile crossed his face. "Thank you. But...we've also gotten some answers about you."

Navi bobbed in surprise. "Me? What are you talking about?"

Link's heart sank down all the way into his boots. He'd been trying hard not to think about this aspect of his new knowledge all day, but it wasn't working. He had to face the truth sooner or later. "That you're not my guardian fairy."

Slowly, like a leaf falling from a tree in autumn, Navi sank down until she landed cross-legged on his knee. "Because you're a Hylian," she murmured. "That's why so much time passed without a fairy going to you. You didn't need one."

Link looked down at Navi, and in his mind's eye he could see two roads open up before their feet. Down one path, he followed his destiny and fought to push back the forces of evil and restore peace to his homeland. The other path followed Navi through the years of her life, as she left behind the fetters of her hard life with him. She flew free through the forest, nothing holding her back from being the most beloved and beautiful fairy in the whole entire world.

Those two paths had run parallel for a time, but now they had reached a fork in the road. It was time to say goodbye.

But then Navi tipped her head back to look him in the eye and said, "I'm still your guardian fairy, though."

His morose thoughts screeched to a halt. "What do you mean? I...I'm not even a real Kokiri."

"Maybe not...but I made a promise to the Great Deku Tree. I said I would take care of you, and help you on your quest. And we've still got so far to go."

Link carefully scooped her up in his hand so he could raise her to eye-level. "You mean...you're not going to leave me now?"

Navi patted his thumb consolingly. "I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to leave you _ever._ And I ought to keep my promises, right?"


	45. Illusion

**Author's Note: This theme stumped me for a while, and at first I tried to think of something I could do with the Lens of Truth or something. But then, out of nowhere, I thought of a line that Black Widow says in Avengers: Age of Ultron: "I had this dream...that I was an Avenger." Now, there's almost** _ **nothing**_ **in common between Natasha Romanoff and Navi, but for some reason that idea latched onto my brain as Navi saying, "I had this dream...that I was your guardian fairy." That morphed and shifted in the writing, but it led to what you see here.**

 **I wasn't originally intending this, but it turns out that this chapter fits in really well with the previous two. You can kind of see these three chapters as an ongoing discussion between the two of them about the ramifications of Link being Hylian rather than Kokiri. This chapter also picks up the idea again that fairies will die if they stay away from the place of their birth for too long. I really do think that death is the only thing that could keep these two apart.**

 **Timeline: Child; end of game**

 **Theme 45: Illusion**

The stone door closed behind Link with a sense of finality that made his feet falter as he crossed the glossy marble floor of the Temple of Time. He turned slowly to look at the door, which now appeared to be nothing more than an ancient mural of the Triforce behind the raised platform where priests could perform their rituals.

The door had shut on the life he'd left behind. A life of danger and constant struggle, true. A life filled with worry and sorrow and the disfiguring scars that evil left in its wake. But there was a lot to miss about that life too. Many friends he had made, who were now lost to him. Places he'd seen, things he'd done—all were gone now, erased from his future and locked behind that door. The sword was returned to its stone, the job was done, and there was no going back.

He let out a long, exhausted breath and looked up at Navi. "Well...I suppose we ought to go back to Kokiri Forest for starters, so you can get your strength back up." The final battle against Ganon and all of his forces of darkness had surely done a number on his friend's magical strength. She was starting to look a little dim around the edges.

A long moment passed before Navi spoke, and when she did, her voice was reluctant. "Yes...I need to go back. But Link...I think it's time. You shouldn't come with me."

Link stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. Then his breath caught in his throat as he realized what she was saying. His heart pounded, and he felt the same plunging sensation in his stomach he always felt when a Wallmaster was about to drop on his head. "What...are you saying?"

She hovered right in front of his face, but it was like she was zooming away from him, faster and farther with every word. "Your task is over, Link...and so is mine. I made a promise to the Great Deku Tree that I would protect you and guide you on your quest. But that's over now. Hyrule is saved...and you need to get on with your life."

Sudden anger gushed into his heart, exploding through his whole body with a rush of heat as fierce as Din's Fire. "That's it?" he demanded. "Our quest is done, so you just drop me like an old rag? Is that all I am to you? A _task_ that has to be checked off your to-do list?"

He wished Navi would retort angrily, maybe storm off in a huff. For one terrible moment, he wanted her to _hurt_ like the pain digging deep into his own heart; he wanted her to look back in the future and regret all of this. As soon as the moment passed, shame clenched his stomach, but anger still burned beneath it.

Navi was calm, her wings drooping sadly as she said, "No. You know better than that, Link. After everything we've been through, you know you're more than that to me."

"Then _why—_ "

"Because you're not a Kokiri!" Navi burst out, some frustration finally edging into her voice.

Link recoiled as if she'd slapped him. Those were the words he'd always feared to hear, the ones he could hear like sinister whispers in his ear any time one of the Kokiri stared at him or commented on his lack of a fairy.

"You're a Hylian," Navi continued more gently. "I've been so glad to help you until now, Link, but you don't really need me anymore. For a few years, we could play around with the illusion that I was your guardian fairy, but we both know that's not true. The Kokiri need guardian fairies to keep them from getting lost in the woods or making some stupid mistake that would get them killed, because they're just children. They can never grow, they can never really mature. But you already have. Even before I met you, you were already miles ahead of the Kokiri. So you shouldn't let the forest hold you back."

"The forest never held me back," Link said desperately. "We might have to go back periodically, but we can still—"

"No," Navi said softly, darting forward to place a tiny hand on his lips to make him stop. She fluttered back so he could look at her more easily. "My place is in the forest, it always has been. And your place is in Hyrule. You saved this land, but now you need to make sure it _stays_ safe. Ganon isn't the only source of evil in the world, and one day Hyrule will need the Hero of Time again. You need to be here, be ready for that time."

"But...But _I_ need _you!_ " Link said, reaching out a hand though his fingers came short of grasping his companion's gentle glow. "I would be dead a hundred times over without you, Navi! How many times did you save my life in battle, or give me advice for where to go next? How can I protect Hyrule, how can I do _anything,_ without you there?"

She shook her head with a tinkling sound that somehow managed to sound sad but proud at the same time. "You've grown much stronger and wiser than you realize, Link. Don't you remember fighting Ganondorf, right before he tried to pull the castle down on our heads? He held me back, and I couldn't help you at all...but you still fought marvelously. You saw exactly what to do, and you weren't held back at all when I wasn't there. You can do so again."

She was right, of course—she was always right—but she didn't know the blinding terror Link had felt when he faced off against the evil king in one-on-one combat, without a fairy shouting warnings and battle tactics in his ear. He had defeated Ganondorf, yes, and he could probably do it again...but he had felt so alone, knowing there was no one watching his back.

"Fine," he said hoarsely, swallowing past the painful lump growing in his throat. "You stay in Kokiri Forest...but I'm going to come visit you as often as I can. We won't be apart for long."

Navi sank so low that Link was afraid she would fall right out of the air, so he held out his hand beneath her, letting her sit lightly in his palm. "Link...you can't be seen coming and going in the forest very much. It's all right for now, while you still _look_ like a Kokiri, but what happens when you grow up again? Other Hylians might see you emerging unscathed from the forest and think all the old legends are false. And then they'll venture in themselves, and get mauled by dangerous creatures or end up wandering forever in the Lost Woods until they become Stalfos!"

Slowly, Link sank to the cool stone floor before his legs could give out completely. He stared numbly at his best friend. "So...we're _never_ going to see each other again? Ever?"

Navi, who had been so calm and stoic about all of this, made a sudden movement. It was hard to see through her bright glow, but Link thought she had dropped her head into her hands. "I don't want this to happen," she moaned. Her voice sounded thick with tears, though fairies couldn't actually cry. "Link, you're the by far greatest, dearest friend I've ever known..."

Link opened his mouth to reply that she was the first friend _he'd_ ever had, but suddenly he remembered that wasn't true. Saria had befriended him years before he'd met Navi. She was the first one who had seen him for who he really was, and she'd always been there for him, though she hadn't had the same chance for intimacy that Navi had shared with him over the past several years.

Then his breath left him in a rush. "Saria's Song," he gasped.

Navi grew still and silent, and he wished he could see her expression.

"I've been talking to Saria all over Hyrule," Link continued, the words coming faster and faster as thoughts raced through his head. "We could do the same! I'm sure it would reach you in the forest, just like it always reached Saria. We can talk every day...like we're really together again. And sometimes...when I can be sure that no one will notice my absence...I _will_ come visit you for real. I promise."

For a moment, Navi just sat there as if stunned. Then with a jangle of excited fluttering, she swooped through the air and tried to hug his nose, wrapping her arms around it like the trunk of an old tree. "Thank you," she murmured, still sounding like she was crying. "Oh, thank you, Link..."

"Sorry, Navi, I just can't let you go like that," Link said, pressing her gently against his cheek in an embrace. "You mean more to me than the whole world."


	46. Family

**Author's Note: One of the biggest unanswered questions in Ocarina of Time is who Link's parents were. At least, this was always one of the things I wondered about the most. We're not given much information at all about what kind of background Link originally came from. Of course, that adds to his mystique, but it's always fun to explore some of that mystique.**

 **Timeline: Adult; post-game (same AU as "Insanity" and "Mother Nature")**

 **Theme 46: Family**

Link nodded to Pemmel as he strode into Zelda's private office. The lady-in-waiting bobbed a curtsey to him and stepped out of the room with an empty tea tray, closing the door softly behind him. He breathed in the comforting smells of the office—musty old books, new parchment, and the faintly aromatic tea sitting on the little table between the two comfortable chairs at the fireplace.

This room at the top of the North Tower had come to feel something like home to him, a safe haven he knew would always be waiting for him at the end of his travels. Altogether, he hadn't spent that much time here, but it wasn't the overstuffed bookshelves or the cozy seats by the fire that made it feel that way.

No. It was the person he could usually find sitting behind that cluttered desk.

Zelda often said she did her best work here, alone and without the hustle and bustle of the court to distract her. She would have to send for a scribe to take her drafted decrees and edicts, or descend the winding staircase herself, but she said the solitude was worth it. He knew the way some of the noblemen looked down their noses at him, so he was inclined to agree with her.

The Queen of Hyrule didn't seem to have realized he was in the room. She bent over what looked like some kind of letter, her quill pen scritching away in the silence. Her brow was pinched with concentration, and she rested her head on two delicate fingers, as if to soothe a headache. Too much strain on the eyes, sitting up here in the dim light and stuffy air. She looked so tired.

"Meeting privately with your knight behind closed doors and sending away the only servant who could act as chaperone," Link said mildly with a click of his tongue. He grinned as Zelda started and left a huge blot on the paper. "What _will_ the court think of you now?"

Zelda stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, but then a bright smile smoothed away all traces of worry and exhaustion. She stood up and hurried around the desk, tossing her pen carelessly to the side so she could take his hands in hers. "Link!" Words seemed to fail her for a moment, then she stammered, "Pemmel...Pemmel is the soul of discretion..."

Link squeezed her hands gently. For once, she wasn't wearing her gloves, and he could feel the warmth of her skin even through his gauntlets. Her big blue eyes were sparkling like the surface of Lake Hylia. He leaned in closer, till he could see his reflection in them. "Then, by your leave, Your Majesty..."

As their lips met, Link felt his hat soar off his head. "Ugh, give me some _warning_ first!" Navi cried, flying his hat over into the corner.

Zelda giggled, a wondrously youthful sound that reminded him of the first time he'd met her. She kissed him softly again before stepping back. But though she smiled, there was a strange sadness in her eyes as she looked up at him.

He frowned. "What is it?"

With a sigh, Zelda let his hands slip through her fingers and stepped back behind the desk again. Back to business, apparently. "Link...I think we've found something."

For a moment, Link wasn't sure what she was talking about. But then he blinked, remembering the conversation they'd had before he'd set off on his last mission. "You mean...?"

Zelda nodded, keeping her head down as she rummaged through the stacks of papers on her desk. "I think I found your parents."

Link sank down on the conveniently-placed chair in front of the desk. He was peripherally aware of Navi lowering the hat back onto his head and sitting on his shoulder to listen.

Finally, Zelda pulled out some kind of official report and looked at it, as if studying the information there. But Link could see that her eyes weren't moving across the page. She was reluctant to say anything for some reason.

He could understand some hesitation on this topic, of course. His parentage was a huge unknown, and a major deterrent to their marriage. As long as the question of who his father was remained open, the council could refute their marriage. Or worse, they could remain silent until the wedding was over, and then turn around and claim that Zelda had no right to remain queen when her husband was such a nobody.

Everything hinged on who his parents had been. Link had often wondered if his father had been a knight of Hyrule like he was. Perhaps that would explain why he'd been able to master sword fighting so quickly, even without formal training beyond Navi's instructions. Or perhaps his mother had been a noblewoman, rich and resourceful enough to escape on horseback to the Kokiri Forest and leave him in a place far from the battlefield.

Link leaned forward, trying to listen carefully instead of dwelling on what it would mean for them if his parents turned out to be high-ranking enough after all.

Zelda let out a sigh, still staring at the paper as if willing it to say something else. "It was very hard to find this information from the census. I had to find records of every child born in the right month of that year, and cross-reference them with every family living close enough to the battlefield that a mortally wounded woman could make it to the forest..."

"And?" Navi asked impatiently, bouncing a little on Link's shoulder. "What did you find?"

At last Zelda looked up, but her expression was bleak. "There was a farmer in Hyrule Field, who refused to leave his land even when the battle turned his direction. He had a son born at the right time. They lived only a few miles from the forest, and the Gorons completely flattened the farm in their assault. There was no one to reclaim the land after the war was over and reparations were being made. The entire family and all the farm hands were killed or missing."

Link's heart sank to his toes, even though he knew this family she had investigated wasn't necessarily _his_ family. It was still the best lead they had gotten yet, likely the best one they would ever get. Which meant that his parents were farmers. Not a knight. Not a noblewoman. Just farmers, like thousands of others across the land.

Which meant there would be no marriage. If the council got wind of this discovery, they would take the possibility and turn it into a certainty. They would do everything in their power to prevent their queen from marrying someone so far below her station.

"I'm sorry," Zelda said, dropping into her chair and resting her forehead against her hands. As if any of this were her fault. As if she could somehow have changed who his parents were.

Link sat absorbing this new information for several minutes, but then he blinked and realized that small drops of moisture were falling onto Zelda's unfinished letter. He pushed himself to his feet and rounded the desk, dropping to one knee so he could peek under the golden curtain of her hair and see her expression.

"I-I wanted to give you your f-family back," Zelda sobbed as he laid a gentle hand on her knee. "But now...have I...have I doomed you to...a l-life alone?"

"Shhh..." He pulled one hand away from her tear-streaked face and kissed the soft palm. "Zelda...it doesn't matter who my parents are."

She looked down at him, too startled to keep crying.

He smiled as Navi fluttered up, holding a handkerchief out to Zelda. "Yes, I wish my parents could have been higher up the social ladder, so there would be fewer obstacles to face. And I wish at least one of them could have survived, so that I could meet them someday. But...it's all right. All the family I need is right here."

Zelda wiped her eyes with the handkerchief Navi had brought her, then looked between her knight kneeling at her side and the fairy hovering nearby. And slowly, she smiled. Maybe, at least for now, this was enough.


	47. Creation

**Author's Note: I was really scared I was going to lose all my work and not be able to post this tonight! You know that horrible moment when you haven't saved for a solid hour and then your computer freezes? ._. Thank God for OpenOffice's automatic document recovery feature; it's saved my forgetful little butt countless times.  
**

 **Anyway, I will cheerfully admit that this chapter is heavily influenced and inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien. His creation story as found in _The Silmarillion_ is one of the most beautiful passages I think I've ever read in my life, and it has forever changed how I think about the act of creation—and subcreation, for that matter (a term that Tolkien himself coined). So I don't think it should come as any surprise that I've ended up seeing the three goddesses as more or less comparable to the Valar of Middle-Earth: perhaps considered divine by us mere mortals, but by no means the highest power in existence. Admittedly, there's not much to support this in-game; Hylian theology is very vague and wishy-washy on the whole. We don't really learn much about it except for how it specifically pertains to Link's quest and what he has to do. So I took the liberty of letting my imagination run wild.**

 **Timeline: None**

 **Theme 47: Creation**

The three goddesses had a hand in the creation of everything in Hyrule—every living blade of grass, every lifeless pebble. This realm was their canvas, and it was their joy to craft their art upon it, summoning a seemingly endless variety of notes that nevertheless fit into the harmony of a higher song than merely that of their own whims.

Some notes were more prominent than others, and required a more direct approach than blades of grass. Such was the formation of the Hero of Time.

The goddesses had long known there would come a day when a hero would awaken. They had foreseen the clouds of darkness that would shadow their beloved land, threatening to blot out all light and twist every one of their beautiful creations into a grotesque mockery.

"Could we not obliterate this darkness ourselves?" Din asked, her righteous ire rising, when first they had realized what awaited their land. "For surely no shadow could withstand our light."

"Peace," said Nayru the Wise. "The score speaks otherwise, and were we to attempt any notes outside the melody, it would only bring discord and disaster."

"Our sister speaks true," Farore said somberly. "Though we may not understand why the melody carries such sorrow and pain, we cannot gainsay it. For we know that in death and pain, new life may spring forth. It may be that by allowing this darkness to prevail for a short time, the new life that follows will be the stronger for it."

"Then let us craft this Hero of Time with care," Din said gravely. "We must make him strong, for a heavy burden rests upon his shoulders."

"Yes," said Farore, as Din gave the hero form, imbuing him with a natural strength and grace that would allow him to resist his foes. "And he must be brave in the face of evil. We must give him a love of all living things, and a desire to protect them. He is to be the champion of all life, and often he must stand alone. Therefore, he must have fortitude of will."

Din and Farore looked to their sister, expecting her to bestow the hero with wisdom and intuition, the ability to see through all mysteries and subterfuge. It would be a powerful asset for one who was to stand alone against all the cunning strategems the darkness could concoct. But in her wisdom, Nayru paused to listen to the course of the melody before bringing her power to bear on the life taking form beneath their fingertips.

She looked at the Hylian who would be named Link when he was born, and she loved him. She loved all of their creations as a mother loves her children, for without each individual note, no song would take form. And as she looked at this Link, she knew what he needed above all else.

"He will not be alone," she said. "For what is our greatest power, my sisters, if not our unity? That is something no amount of darkness can ever conquer. When strength and courage fail, when all other lights go out, there will still remain to him compassion. Friendship. Love."

And so Nayru took the tiniest sliver of her own power, and from it formed a small fairy. It glowed as bright as a star, as blue as the sky above, filled with all the warmth of a summer's day. "Take my wisdom," Nayru whispered to this tiny crumb of herself. "And take my love. He will have need of both. He will have need of you."

When finally their task was done and they had created the Hero of Time that would act as their representative in the land of Hyrule, the three goddesses placed him at the exact place the melody specified.

And at the very moment a tiny baby took his first breath and cried out, Navi the fairy opened her eyes in the Kokiri Forest.


	48. Childhood

**Author's Note: I'm not super happy with this chapter, but it's what I was able to come up with for such a vague prompt. Here is yet another take on the ending that would have been more satisfying than the game. Because we totally needed one more :P**

 **Timeline: Child; post-game**

 **Theme 48: Childhood**

Link tried his hardest not to be bitter or ungrateful. He knew the enormous sacrifices that had been made on his behalf, all just to get him to this point. Zelda had told him she was giving him a chance to make up for lost time, to get back the childhood he had forfeited in Hyrule's service. He had been forced to make decisions and sacrifices many grown men never had to make, and to risk life and limb for thousands of strangers, all at the tender age of ten. Then he'd lost seven years of growing up, and had suddenly found himself in an adult body. There was a lot to make up for.

The only thing was...no one had asked Link if he _wanted_ to get those years back. Frankly, his childhood hadn't been particularly pleasant; he wasn't terribly keen to return to bullies and haunting questions of his own self-worth and purpose in the world. He had grown used to living in a grown-up body. It would only be more hassle to have to get used to being in a child's body again, without the option of moving forward in time when he tired of it.

But he had to at least try, for Zelda's sake. It would kill her to know how much she had ruined his life by condemning him to this safe, happy world that had never known Ganon. She thought she was giving him a chance to be happy, without having to worry about saving the world. But in a world that didn't need to be saved...what use was the Hero of Time?

At least Link knew he had nothing to fear about being able to provide for himself. Even though he had no family to rely on, he was more than capable of caring for his own needs. Even though no one remembered him in this world, soon the people in town learned that he was a trustworthy boy, eager to help and able to efficiently carry out the little errands they assigned him in return for a handful of rupees. With the money he earned doing odd jobs around town, he could buy the things he needed, and he was well accustomed to sleeping rough in alleyways or the occasional stable.

But if Zelda had thought she was giving him a better life, she was sorely mistaken. Without a dire quest weighing down on him, he didn't know what to do with himself. At first, he went to the castle guard and tried to volunteer as a knight, or at least a knight-in-training. But the men only laughed and shooed him away, telling him to come back when he could grow a beard. Link desperately wanted to pull out his sword and put them in their place, but he knew that would only lead to awkward questions and possibly trouble for Zelda. It would be best to wait until he at least looked the part, and then he could go back to defending Hyrule.

In the meantime, he tried to fit in with the community as best he could. Most of the people who even noticed him seemed to think he was an orphan or runaway of some kind, and the adults were mostly pleased to let him help them with their small tasks. The children welcomed him with the good-natured, off-handed way children often do, pleased only to have another playmate. He soon became known as the best at almost all of their games, because he'd had so much practice running and jumping and poking his nose into all the secrets of Hyrule.

Still, though he tried to fit in, he couldn't help that his mind was still that of an adult. His thoughts had matured out of necessity at an early age, taking such a serious view on the world that he'd stood out from the carefree Kokiri even more. And after fighting ferocious beasts and puzzling his way through challenging temples, a mere game of tag wasn't particularly satisfying. He lost interest in most of their games so easily, wishing they could spar instead or talk about the current political situation.

So it seemed that, no matter what he did or what the circumstances around him were, he would always be an outcast.

Then came the day he saw the newcomer. In the afternoon, after fetching groceries for Old Lady Wirchin, Link came upon the usual group of children preparing a game of hide-and-seek in the back alleyways. All the faces were familiar except for one, a small girl with her pigtails a rare shade of blue. As usual, they all drew straws to see who would be It first. When the new girl drew the shortest straw, her lips puckered in a pout and she cried, "Hey! No fair!"

"I can take the first turn if you like," Link offered, knowing how nerve-wracking that position could be when you were new to the game. "What's your name?"

The girl turned her big, blue eyes up at him, glittering as she beamed. "Navi!"

Link stared at her, though she didn't seem to notice, as she turned to run and find a hiding place. Her light, cheerful voice sounded strangely familiar, and there was...something about her eyes too. They almost seemed to glow...just like a fairy...

It took a long time for Link to count to a hundred, since his thoughts kept trailing off and he lost his place. Then it took him forever to find all the children, because all he could think about was this little girl named Navi. And when he finally found her hiding behind a crate, she sprang up with a laugh and skipped along at his side to join up with the others. He couldn't help glancing at her every other second.

The thought forming in his mind was stupid. Pointless. Impossible. He had lost Navi when Zelda transplanted him in this separate timeline, where he and Ganon had never existed. If there was a fairy named Navi in this world, she didn't remember him. He hadn't made the journey back to Kokiri Forest to check, because he didn't know what he would do with himself if he had to come face to face with a Navi who neither knew nor cared about him.

But here was this little girl with blue hair and blue eyes, who said her name was Navi. She skipped around between various members of the group, chattering cheerfully in a voice that almost could have been a lower version of the tinkly little fairy voice he knew so well. She was everything he would have expected Navi to be as a Hylian, if he had ever expected anything of the sort. But surely, he only saw this resemblance because he missed Navi so much?

Over the next few days, Link spent much more time with the children than he had been. He couldn't keep from watching this Navi girl, trying to find clues in her every action that she might be _his_ Navi. He hated how desperately he wanted to believe that she was somehow his fairy in a different form.

Finally, something happened that made up his mind. He wandered away from the other children at noon one day, as he often did to eat his meal in peace, away from their juvenile conversation. But as he sat on a low wall, kicking his feet and munching on bread and cheese, he glanced up and saw Navi walking towards him, nimbly balancing on top of the wall. She plopped down beside him, looking up at him with her big, round eyes. Her head barely came up to his shoulder.

"Why do you hurt so much all the time, Link?" she asked solemnly.

His breath caught as he looked down at her. That was exactly the sort of thing Navi the fairy would have done. She'd always seen when Link was hurting, and never failed to let him know that she had noticed and wanted to help. He looked at her, longing to pour out the whole story of what he was going through, and to tell her how much he needed a fairy companion still. Instead, he just said quietly, "I guess I'm just lonely."

"Oh!" Navi said brightly. "Well, that's easy enough to fix! I'll be your friend. I'll be your _best_ friend, and then you won't have to be lonely forever and ever!"

Slowly, a smile found its way onto his face as he saw the cheerful sincerity in her eyes. "Thank you...N-Navi. I think that's exactly what I need."


	49. Stripes

**Author's Note: Aaaand we're back with the Gerudo XD I just can't seem to stay away from them, they're too interesting! But I've been wanting to write about an experience I think is probably iconic and memorable to a lot of us who played this game: Getting caught by the Gerudo and thrown into prison. It always amused me that they never bother to take away your items, which you'd think would be the** _ **first**_ **thing they'd do. But I guess that would have made things quite complicated at the time.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Gerudo Fortress**

 **Theme 49: Stripes**

The first time the Gerudo caught him, Link wasn't too worried. He'd gotten in trouble with all sorts of guards before, from the short-sighted castle guards to the raging, bloodthirsty Moblins that had once guarded the Forest Temple. And he figured that if he could make it past a ten-foot Moblin who uprooted a tree to use as a club that made the very earth shake beneath them, a few veiled ladies couldn't give him trouble for too long. They'd caught him by surprise, that was all. He hadn't been expecting to turn that corner and end up in the barracks, so of course they had caught him.

Even though they took all of his weapons and supplies away when they shoved him into a cell, it only took Link five minutes to break out again. He'd used a little sleight-of-hand trick Sheik had taught him, and concealed the key he'd been hoping to use on the imprisoned carpenters to free himself instead. "All right," he whispered to Navi as he crept up the stairs. "We'll have to be _extra_ careful this time—"

But then a scarlet-clad Gerudo warrior swung down from the rafters, twin scimitars slicing through the air. He cried out in surprise and leapt back, one sharp blade whistling past his throat. He tried to jump backwards again, but then another Gerudo warrior dropped down behind him. Another followed, then another. Link slowly turned around, looking at the razor-sharp blades glistening in the torchlight, at the identical amber eyes glaring over the veils that hid their faces from view.

"Run, Navi!" he yelled as they advanced. Maybe that wasn't the correct term to use, since Navi hardly ever ran or even walked anywhere. But Link's final comfort before he smashed face-first on the floor was the sight of Navi streaking away through the air.

"Did you truly think us so foolish, outlander?" one Gerudo sneered, pinning him to the floor with her knee while his hands were chained tightly behind him. "We know you are no amateur, to have made it so far without detection. We would never leave you unsupervised."

They stuffed a rag in his mouth so he couldn't even retort, then dragged him away as if he were nothing but a sack of flour they were taking to the kitchens.

But sacks of flour usually weren't whipped, harshly interrogated, and then thrown into a tall, narrow cell. Link didn't know how long they'd held him, demanding to know who he was and why he was there. He'd withstood their beating without uttering a single cry of pain, but it had been a near thing. The worst of it all was the offhand comment one of his guards had made that the real torture would apparently start the next day.

He refused to find out what that meant.

* * *

Stripes. That was all he saw, when he next opened his eyes and saw the sun shining a patch of gold on the stone floor from the grated opening far above him. Bars of shadow and light alternated on the floor in front of him, creeping towards him imperceptibly as he lay there, too exhausted to move.

But gradually, he became aware that the shadows were shifting, shuddering, thrown to one side and then the other... Link blinked in confusion at them, then laboriously turned his head to see what was casting such shadows.

He recognized the sound of her wings before his brain registered what his eyes were telling him. Letting out a quiet groan of relief, he closed his eyes again.

"Oh, Link," Navi murmured, fluttering down towards him. "What have they done to you?"

"Softened me up for tomorrow, apparently," Link sighed. After summoning his strength, he managed to push himself up to a sitting position. He slumped awkwardly against the wall, holding up his weight with one arm rather than resting his lacerated back against the rough stone.

"Then it's a shame you won't be here," Navi said firmly.

He felt the gentle brush of her hand against the slashes across his back, and then a warm sensation like what he felt with a healing fairy. "Don't do that!" he said, trying to twist around sharply to look at her, but wincing and cringing back against the wall instead.

"It's quite all right," Navi said a little breathlessly as she rounded his shoulder to look him in the eye, then dropped into her usual seat on Link's knee so suddenly he quickly cupped his hand around her tiny body to make sure she didn't fall over. "I couldn't...do much...but I think...they're all closed now."

Link didn't try to twist around and check, but the pain was a little less, and he felt a rush of gratitude for his friend. Healing took a lot more out of her than the red fairies that filled every fairy fountain in Hyrule. Because the cost to her strength was so much higher, Link valued it more even though he knew a fairy with a healing specialty could have completely healed his back in minutes.

Leaning more of his weight against the wall, Link looked up at the small window at the top of his cell. The bars were wide, probably because they knew no one could climb the sheer stone walls to reach them and attempt an escape. "This reunion is great and all, Navi," Link muttered reluctantly, "but I'm still stuck in here. So unless you brought a key, I don't see how—"

Navi let out an indignant huff that almost sounded like her usual strong self. "Well, if you would stop gaping up at that window and look _around_ you..."

In surprise, Link turned his gaze down and blinked at the hookshot lying a few feet away, as if it had been there the entire time. "What?"

"It was all I could get my hands on," Navi said apologetically. "They've got your sword and shield under lock and key, of course, but all your other stuff is just lying on a table in plain sight. I don't think they know what to make of half of it."

That was a fair assumption, since most of his items were legendary, one-of-a-kind artifacts most people had never even heard of before. With a wince as his still-healing muscles pulled across his back, Link reached over and picked up the hookshot. It was a far cry from the kind of weapon he needed to get out of this cutthroat's den, but it was better than nothing. And it would certainly help him get out of this infernal cell.

Making sure Navi was safely tucked in his tunic pocket just in case, Link raised the hookshot and pointed it at one of the bars high above him. "Navi...thank you. I never get very far without you."


	50. Breaking the Rules

**Author's Note: Generally the first thing I do with a new prompt is a kind of free association to see what ideas will immediately come to mind, if any. So when I saw this one, I started thinking of other stories that have a lot of rule-breaking involved...and the first one I thought of was Harry Potter. Each book in that series is basically about how Harry's rule-breaking saves the day in the end XD And the more I thought about Harry Potter...the more I wanted to do a crossover I never would have called fitting until now. At first glance, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to cross these stories with each other, because even though they're both fantasy, they're kind of opposite ends of the spectrum. But then I kept on thinking of ways to insert Zelda characters into the Harry Potter setting and storyline...and pretty soon I realized I'd** _ **have**_ **to give it a try. Originally, I was intending this to be the only chapter where I indulged this little plot bunny, but I've come up with so many ideas for how Link would fill Harry's shoes that I've decided to eventually do seven chapters of this crossover, one for each year. Hopefully, that will show some interesting angles on the life of Wizard!Link. Kind of a weird story to mark the halfway point, but that's just how it fell out. (Oh, and there** _ **is**_ **a very good explanation for Link's unusual Sorting, but you're going to have to wait for a future chapter to get that answer.)**

 **Timeline: Harry Potter crossover AU (part 2 of 7)**

 **Theme 50: Breaking the Rules**

The common room was hushed—though not with a silence that echoed the shock and fear filling the rest of the school. Most of the faces he saw were expectant, trying to anticipate what would happen next. Most looked rather nervous, but a few actually had the audacity to look _eager._ Like they had been _hoping_ something like this would happen.

Link had never felt further apart from his housemates. He'd never fit in, of course; he didn't care about what they cared about, and there were so many secrets he needed to keep from them. Everyone here ranked in an unspoken but undeniable hierarchy based on parentage, so Link, whose father had been an Auror but whose mother had been a Muggle, was close to the bottom of the ladder. And as if all that weren't enough, he hung around students from other houses. It was like he had _traitor_ written across his forehead.

"Hey, Link!" a voice sneered nearby. "It's too bad about your _girlfriend._ You must be real torn up about it, huh? Just like _she_ will be!"

Link whipped his head up as Mido's mocking laughter echoed around the quiet common room. He reached for his wand, but a hand on his arm stopped him just in time.

"Gotta confess," Mido continued, lazily examining his fingernails, "I was sure the monster would go for a Mudblood first. I was hoping it'd be Navi."

Link surged to his feet, the hopelessness he'd felt since that afternoon fueling his rage. He didn't care that his wand wasn't in his hand; all he wanted was to get close enough to punch Mido's lights out. "Why, you—"

"Hey!" Navi, giving up on holding him back by the arm, shoved her way between the two of them and holding her arms out to keep them apart. Mido took a step back with a look of disgust, as if her hand would soil his robes. "That's _enough,_ " she said, glaring from one to the other. "This won't help Zelda! This won't help anything!"

Link's lip curled as he looked down his nose at the shorter boy, but he let Navi push him gently back, because he knew she was right. While they stood here bickering like the schoolchildren they were, Zelda was probably dying. Without another word, Link set his jaw, turned away, and marched toward the door leading out to the dungeon corridor beyond the common room.

"Wait!" Mido snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"

Link turned on the threshold, glaring around at all the students who just sat there, not lifting a finger to help or do anything useful when a thirteen-year-old girl had been kidnapped. "I'm breaking the rules."

* * *

"No offense," Navi said as the sink in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom slid aside, revealing a huge pipe that led into darkness, "but it kind of makes sense why people think you're the Heir of Slytherin when you do things like that."

Link let the eerie hiss die on his lips. He still wasn't exactly sure how he did that, nor why he found it so easy to talk to snakes when the Sorting Hat had been so eager to put him in Gryffindor instead. But he would take advantage of any skill that allowed him to save someone.

"If I was the Heir of Slytherin," he sighed, "I'd be able to control the Basilisk and rescue Zelda that way. Or she wouldn't need rescuing in the first place..."

Navi had been peering down the dark pipe uncertainly, but then she turned around, her blue eyes shining. "That's it! It's a snake—you can talk to snakes! You can tell it what to do!"

"But the Basilisk can only be controlled by the Heir of Slytherin—"

"—which is probably because only the Heir of Slytherin is supposed to be able to talk to snakes!" Navi interrupted excitedly. "I bet you could get it to at least not attack you!"

Link looked at his best friend doubtfully, but he didn't brush the idea off as a crazy one. He'd learned to trust her hunches over the past two years; they were usually right. He mulled over the idea all the way down the slimy pipe, through the dark passageways, as Professor Lockhart accidentally modified his own memory, and as the cave-in separated them and he had to advance alone.

It made a lot of sense, he thought as he stood at the feet of the unconscious Zelda, watching the enormous snake uncoil from the mouth of the enormous statue of the Founder of his own house. Ganondorf knew the words to say to summon the monster from its dark slumber, but he was speaking in Parseltongue that Link could understand easily.

He had to admit, Ganondorf looked the part of the Heir of Slytherin much more than he did, even as a mere blurred memory come to life. The olive tone of his skin, the jet black of his hair, the calm assurance of a talented boy of sixteen—everything about him radiated confidence and power. He knew he had been born for this.

But even though he was a mere twelve years old, Link knew what he had been born to do as well. Ganondorf had taken his wand, so Link tensed, ready to run or duck at a moment's notice. The only trouble, of course, was that he couldn't look the Basilisk in the eye.

" _Kill the boy,"_ hissed Ganondorf to the enormous snake. _"He is our enemy."_

With a menacing hiss, the Basilisk reared up, preparing to strike. Trying to gauge what position the snake was in judging from the coils of its body on the floor, Link immediately hissed, _"He lies. I am no enemy. You see, I am a Slytherin just as he is. I am a friend to all your kind."_

The Basilisk halted, letting out a hiss that Link thought sounded confused. He pressed the advantage. _"This man would use you for his own purposes, but I am only here to be your friend. You don't have to listen to his commands."_

The hissing and spitting sounds that poured out of Ganondorf's mouth drowned out Link's words. _"Fool! Do not let this whelp addle your mind! Who was it that gave you your freedom? And who can take it away again?"_

The Basilisk let out an angry hiss, snapping at them both—more to express its frustration than to actually threaten them, but Link ducked all the same.

Then Ganondorf spoke the words that sealed the deal. _"And I have brought you a meal, my friend. When I am through with this girl, she will be all yours. And if you kill that one, you may feast on him as well."_

It would have been a perfect time to have Navi at his side, Link realized as he dodged out of the way of the Basilisk's lunge. She could have watched for the Basilisk's attacks and warned him in time. Instead, he had to rely on his hearing and his instincts. And on how fast he could run.

The monstrous snake snapped at his heels and moved its weighty bulk at a frightening speed behind him, curling the dark coils of its body around the pillars to block Link's path. Several times, he barely managed to dodge around a pillar fast enough. And finally, there was nowhere left to run. He was trapped in a dark corner of the room, and he couldn't even look up to watch his doom rushing towards him.

Then, with an oddly familiar hooting sound, an enormous owl swooped down out of the darkness, circling around the Basilisk's head and distracting it from its prey. Link dared a glance upwards, and immediately recognized the large owl that had been sitting in Rauru's office. But what was the Headmaster's pet doing here? As it circled the Basilisk again, it swooped down lower and dropped something soft in Link's hands.

The Sorting Hat.

Link wished Rauru's pet's hints were as straightforward and understandable as Navi's. But because he had nothing else to do, he ignored Ganondorf's laughter over the paltry help the Headmaster had given his prize pupil and put the Hat on.

This time, the Hat didn't waste much time on speech. The musty old voice spoke into his mind with a dusty sigh. _I told you that you would have done better in Gryffindor._ And something fell hard on top of Link's head, making him see stars.

He blinked and shook his head, glancing up at the owl, which was pecking and tearing ferociously at the Basilisk's eyes with its beak and talons. Then Link looked back down at the Sorting Hat, which had fallen off his head. Gleaming in the folds of cloth was something silver. He reached down and grasped the hilt of a sword, then pulled it out like a knight in a fairy tale and held it aloft. The dim light of the chamber glittered across the ruby-encrusted hilt and the name engraved on the blade: Godric Gryffindor.

And so the Slytherin boy, aided by the trusted bird of his Hufflepuff Headmaster, wielded the fabled blade of Gryffindor to save the life of a Ravenclaw. The evil monster within the Chamber of Secrets stood no chance against the combined power of all four houses, and with one last lunge, impaled itself on Link's sword.

But before Link could feel even the first burst of triumph, he felt something as sharp as his sword stab into his arm. One of the Basilisk's razor-sharp fangs jabbed all the way through his arm. He choked back a cry as he fell to his knees, tugging his arm off its sharp point. The whole tooth broke off, clattering to the floor next to him. He cradled his throbbing left arm against his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding at least a little. He could already feel the snake's venom start to seep through his veins, clouding his vision and slowing his brain to a sluggish crawl.

"How _dare_ you!" bellowed Ganondorf, stalking around the enormous dead head of his monster and pointing Link's own wand at him. "I see I have underestimated you, boy, but never again shall—"

Link spotted the little black diary a few paces away and acted on instinct. He grabbed the Basilisk fang, lunged for the book, and stabbed the fang into it. Ink poured out of the hole in the pages, as if he had stabbed Ganondorf's still-beating heart. And the dark phantom screamed as though that were the case as well, clawing at his translucent body till it all faded away. All that was left of him were the screams echoing through the hall.

Zelda sat up, looking around herself in confusion as the strength Ganondorf had sapped from her was restored. Link caught a glimpse of her as his vision blurred and started to grow dark at the edges. He sank to the cold stone floor, his good arm trembling so much he couldn't hold himself upright anymore.

He blinked, and suddenly Zelda was right there, lifting his head to lay it in her lap. She was crying, he realized dimly when he felt drops of water fall on his cheeks. Well...at least he would die looking at her pretty face...

"No!"

Running footsteps echoed through the chamber, and then a weight landed on his shoulder, jarring his wounded arm. He could draw no breath to cry out, but the sudden jab of pain blew away the clouds in his eyes till he could make out Navi's anguished face hovering over him. _Oh...she must have made it past the cave-in._ She grabbed fistfuls of his robes and shook him slightly, saying through gritted teeth, "You are _not_ going to die like this. Not now."

No...he didn't want to die yet... Not when there was still so much left to do...

His eyes slid from one of his best friends to the other, and he scraped the last of his strength together to whisper, "I'm...sorry..."

"No!" Navi screamed, her tears splashing down to mingle with Zelda's.

And then...was she... _glowing?_ A blue light seemed to shine underneath her skin, surrounding her till her features were almost obscured. Her hand pressed against the wound in his arm, and at first her skin burned like a branding iron, but then it cooled down till it was almost icy.

Link shook his head, blinked, and sat up. Strangely, all pain was gone from his arm...and he wasn't dead. He stared in wonder at Navi, whose bluish glow sank back beneath her skin, leaving it the same hue it had always been. She gaped back at him, pointing a shaking finger at the bloody place on his arm where the Basilisk fang had gone straight through.

The skin there was as new and smooth as a baby's.

"You're...You're healed," Navi whispered, staring at her own hands in wonder.

"You must have fairy blood in you," Zelda murmured, looking just as shocked as the others. And if something surprised Zelda, who seemed to remember every scrap of detail from every book in the entire library, it must be truly unprecedented.

Navi's face screwed up in disgust. "You mean those annoying little blue things Professor Lockhart set loose in the classroom?"

Zelda chuckled. "No, not _pixies._ Fairies. Truly powerful magic beings, with natural powers of healing and bestowing magical powers on those who are worthy. They were said to have died out, when Muggles tried to obliterate all traces of magic in the Dark Ages. But maybe they simply took on the form of humans in order to survive..."

"Okay, okay, _Encyclopedia Magica,_ " Navi grumbled, rolling her eyes. Then she met Link's eyes and her expression softened. "I'm just glad that whatever I did worked."

Link smiled. "You saved my life, Navi. Thank you."


	51. Sport

**Author's Note: I wasn't originally intending to continue the HP crossover AU right away, but how else can I work sports into Zelda? XD So here you have it, just a couple little scenes in the daily life of wizard!Link and witch!Navi.**

 **Timeline: Harry Potter crossover AU (part 6 of 7)**

 **Theme 51: Sport**

The ceiling of the Great Hall was a dull, overcast grey—typical, if gloomy, weather for this time of year. It would probably start raining as soon as they headed down the lawn for Care of Magical Creatures, and they would all be soaked by the time they made it back up to the castle for lunch.

Link looked up from his scrambled eggs when the short girl dropped down onto the bench next to him and started helping herself to everything within reach. "Food's about to disappear," he said mildly. "Cutting it a little late today, don't you think?"

"Th'orry," Navi mumbled through a mouthful of toast. "Duth wanned t' pu' my name down."

"Put your name down where?"

With a loud gulp, Navi swallowed her mouthful of food and said brightly, "Quidditch tryouts on Friday! Wanna come watch?"

"Quidditch tryouts?" Link echoed, looking down the table to where the team always sat together, discussing tactics and professional games as though they weren't at school. He glanced over them, trying to figure out if anyone was missing from last year's lineup. There hadn't been any seventh-years, had there? "Is there an opening?"

"Yeah, Theeker," Navi said, her mouth full again.

Link looked around at her in surprise. "Seeker? But...Mido..."

Navi shrugged and took a swig of pumpkin juice. "He dropped out of the team this year, so they're scrambling to find a replacement."

"Mido dropped out of the team?" Link found this highly suspicious. First there were the things he'd overheard Mido say on the Hogwarts Express, and now he was backing out of the Quidditch team that had been his primary bragging point since second year? Something was definitely fishy here.

Navi, however, just shrugged and tucked the lock of hair she'd dyed blue behind her ear. "Says he wants to focus on his NEWTs. Fine by me. This is my year, Link—I can feel it!"

Link bit his lip, looking down into his best friend's bright, sparkling blue eyes. He knew Navi was an excellent flyer, much better on a broom than he could ever hope to be. He also knew she had a sharp eye and a small, light build ideal for a Seeker. But still, he felt it was his duty to speak words of caution.

"Navi," he said, hating to see the vibrant light in her eyes dim, "you know they're not going to let you on the team unless they have absolutely no other choice. You practically have to buy your way onto the team anymore, and besides, I don't think they've had any girls on the team in ten years."

Navi immediately fired up. "So? I can fly better than any of those donkeys trying out—"

Link held up his hands defensively. "I know you can, Navi, okay? _I_ know. But _they_ don't know that, and I don't think they're going to give you a chance to prove it to them. Besides...I think I might be a deterrent too."

Navi opened her mouth to reply, then cocked her head and frowned in confusion. "Wait, what do _you_ have to do with any of this?"

Link picked at his bread, littering his plate with crumbs. "You know me—Enemy Number 1. The worst Slytherin ever Sorted. You really think they'd let my best friend on their star Quidditch team? Especially when she's a Muggle-born?"

But today, not even a reminder of the ridicule Navi suffered at the hands of her own housemates could faze her. She got to her feet, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and flashing him a cheerful grin. "I'm not going to let that stop me! I'll fly so well, they'll _have_ to put me on the team! Well, I'm off to Ancient Runes now—see you in Potions!"

* * *

A lesser friend might have said _I told you so._ A more irascible individual would probably have rushed off to duel the entire Slytherin Quidditch team on the spot. But Link was neither of those things, so when Navi came running up to him in the courtyard during break, tears streaking down her cheeks, he guided her back inside and into a small alcove, where he wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.

"You w-were...right," she sobbed, squeezing him so hard around the chest that he couldn't draw a deep breath. "Th-They already know who...who it's gonna be... He paid them...oo-oodles of Galleons...an' they're only having the tryouts because it's required...an' they looked at me like I was stupid when...when I said I can fly better than Groose any day..."

Link snorted. "Groose? That's who the new Seeker is? He's bigger than both Beaters combined. It's a wonder he can even get his broomstick in the air."

Navi let out a choked hiccup that might have been a laugh.

Resting his cheek on top of her head, Link sighed. He knew it was hard for her to be in Slytherin, surrounded by so many mean-spirited, manipulative people. There were some decent people besides them in Slytherin, of course, but they were easily overshadowed by the pervading atmosphere of selfish ambition and petty squabbles. And the entire reason she put up with all of this was to keep him company... "I'm sorry, Navi," he whispered.

Navi pushed away, wiping tears from her eyes and even smiling a little. "It's okay," she said, sniffling. "I...I wouldn't wanna hang around those guys anyway, no matter _what_ sport it was."

Link squeezed her shoulder bracingly. "They don't know what they're missing. And believe me, they'll be regretting their choice when the first match comes around and they discover that Groose couldn't find the Snitch if it was flashing iridescent green and had a floating arrow pointing it out for him."

Navi giggled. "Thanks. Now I'm actually looking forward to the first match..."


	52. Deep in Thought

**Author's Note: I did something similar to this in my FMA 100 Themes fic** _ **Till I'm a Hundred, You Idiot,**_ **and I found it a really interesting exercise to explore the inner workings of a character. I've been wanting to try my hand at the same thing for this fic, and I finally found an appropriate prompt. It was a little difficult for me to figure out exactly how to go about this endeavor, especially since Link's personality is much less distinct than most characters'. But I'm reasonably pleased with the results. Yes, there are many more facets to his personality than what I showed here, but I think these are some of the most essential pieces to who he is.**

 **Timeline: Adult; right after the seven-year gap**

 **Theme 52: Deep in thought**

Navi woke first. As soon as she'd listened to Rauru's explanation for why they'd been put in an enchanted slumber for seven years, and voiced her frustration that none of this had been explained _before_ the deed was done, she hastened to Link's side. Rauru assured her that he would soon wake, so she fluttered eagerly over his sleeping face, waiting impatiently for his eyes to open. She was ready to face whatever Ganondorf had in store for them.

But long minutes passed, and Link didn't stir—not even to flutter an eyelash. Finally, when she thought she would explode from impatience, Navi rounded on the Sage who stood gravely before the stone pedestal where Link lay. "Well?" she demanded. "When is he going to wake up? Couldn't you have woken us up a little closer together?"

To her annoyance and alarm, Rauru looked worried. The old man bent over Link's body, his frown crinkling his forehead and making his luxurious white mustache droop to his chin. "He should have woken by now..." he murmured, laying a leathery hand on Link's forehead. Closing his eyes, Rauru became utterly still, as if reaching out with arcane senses to see to the core of the problem.

Navi kept as still and quiet as she could, hovering in place and watching them both intently. She didn't want to disturb the powerful Sage in his examination, no matter that her heart fluttered as rapidly as her wings. She forced herself not to think about what would happen if he _never_ woke up at all...

After what felt like years, Rauru finally opened his eyes and straightened up, letting his hand fall back to his side. His eyes, when he raised them to meet Navi's, were troubled. "He has lost himself. The shock of touching the Triforce was too great, its power too strong for a child's mind to handle. I cast the spell on the two of you as soon as I could, but it seems I was too late to protect him fully. In order to protect himself, he has retreated into his own mind."

Navi flew closer to Link's face, as if she could see his troubled dreams just by staring at his closed eyelids. "What do you mean?" she asked in a choked voice. "Is he...do you mean that he's _never_...going to...?"

It was too terrible to contemplate. Losing Link now, after all this time, after everything they'd done together... There was so much they had left to do! Where would Hyrule be without its hero? Where would Princess Zelda be? And...would Navi be all alone...forever?

"I think," Rauru said slowly, "there might be a way to recall Link's spirit back to his body. It will be difficult...and there may only be a small chance of success..."

"I'll do it!" Navi immediately said, popping up to Rauru's eye level. "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!"

She half expected him to protest—it seemed like the noble, sagely thing to do, protesting against impetuous decisions made on the spur of the moment—but Rauru merely nodded gravely. "Indeed, I believe that, without the Sage of Spirit, you may be his only hope. His spirit is fractured, split in order to protect itself just as the Triforce did. You will need to find what he has forgotten, the missing force that binds them all together. Only then will he awaken."

"Okay," Navi said, though she barely understood what he was talking about. "I know Link better than anyone else in the world. This should be easy!"

* * *

Navi soon discovered how difficult the whole task promised to be. It took Rauru a long time to prepare the complex spell that would send the fairy directly into Link's mind, and the process itself felt like hours of hurtling through a nauseating miasma of colors and sounds.

Though Navi hadn't really understood Rauru's explanation for how this whole thing worked, she was relieved to discover that when everything died down, she looked and felt just like her old self. She was still a glowing blue fairy, not some amorphous phantasm flitting through Link's mind.

Link's mind, she discovered, looked an awful lot like Hyrule Castle. She hadn't stopped to wonder what his mind would look like on the inside, but somehow, when she gazed up at the turrets and battlements, it felt exactly right. She felt the same familiarity to look upon the castle as she did when she looked at her friend on the outside.

Still, that didn't exactly make her feel any better. The air was unearthly silent, and everything surrounding the castle and the mound of earth it sat upon fell away into utter blackness. Not the darkness of night, not even under a new moon. No, this blackness was complete and unyielding. It made Navi shiver and hurry through the bars of the portcullis, which had been lowered.

She didn't know where to look for Link in an entire castle, but when she poked her head into the guardhouse, she discovered that her search was off to an easy start. A little blond-haired boy dressed all in green huddled in the darkest corner of the room, hugging his knees to his chest and peeking over them with wide blue eyes.

"Link!" she cried, zipping over to him. She thought it was a little odd that he still looked like his ten-year-old self in his mind, but maybe she ought to have expected it. After all, the last time he'd been conscious, this was what he'd looked like.

At her hasty approach, Link jerked backward, cowering against the wall. His eyes widened even further, and he pressed his hands against his mouth so only a frightened squeak emerged.

Navi, expecting a happy reunion after all this time, drew up short in surprise. "Link? Don't you recognize me?"

Link glanced around carefully as if checking that the coast was clear, then whispered hoarsely, "Hi, Navi..."

A wave of relief poured through her. "I've missed you so much!" she cried, fluttering up closer. "Come on, we have to find the rest of you and get out of here."

"Please..." Link whispered frantically, gathering Navi into his cupped hands and holding her close to his chest. "Not so loud. They might hear you."

Alarmed, Navi lowered her voice to a whisper too. "Who?"

But Link shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "I...I don't know. But...But _something's_ coming to get me, I just know it... I-I can't leave, or it might _find_ me!"

Navi peered up at Link in surprise. He wasn't acting anything like the Link she remembered. Even in the darkest dungeons, beset by hideous monsters of all descriptions, he always stood his ground. She'd seen him afraid before, but never had they encountered anything that had made him want to give up like this.

"Come on, Link," she coaxed gently, "You can't just stay here forever. Hyrule needs their hero."

Link's face fell, and he let her slip through his fingers. "Then they'll have to find someone else."

Navi fluttered a short distance away from him and looked him up and down. Nope, he still looked the same as the Link she'd known for so long. "Come on, Link. I _know_ you can do this. You've always been so brave. Where did all that courage go?"

Link looked up at her despairingly. "I don't _have_ any courage anymore. How can I face everything out there? I...I'm too scared."

"Courage isn't about not being scared," Navi said, echoing something she'd told him right before he'd gone to fight the enormous Dodongo terrorizing the Gorons. "It's about doing what's right even when you _are_ scared. So come on. All you have to do is follow me, okay? I'll warn you if anything dangerous comes close."

Link looked up at her for a long moment. She thought she could see in his eyes echoes of all the times she'd shouted warnings to him in battle, telling him when to duck or evade, when and where to strike. She had never steered him wrong, and she had never abandoned him in the thick of the fighting.

Slowly, Link raised himself on shaking legs and stepped away from the meager protection of the wall. He looked like a leaf, trembling on the very end of a bough and waiting for a gust of wind to rip him away. But he was still standing.

"Okay," Navi said gently, fluttering towards the door of the guardhouse. "Follow me. Don't worry, everything's going to be fine."

Link followed her on tiptoe out into the courtyard. Once they were out in the open, his head whipped around in all directions, seeking attackers that simply weren't there. His whole body tensed in anticipation of some intangible fear. Navi had to admit, it _was_ a little creepy to walk through a completely deserted castle courtyard, without feeling a single breath of air or hearing a single sound other than the beat of her wings and the tap of his feet against the cobblestones.

Once they'd made it across the open space and entered the doors to the main keep, Link relaxed slightly—that is to say, he hastened to put his back to one wall and sidled along it, glancing often over his shoulder back the way they'd come. Because of Link's caution, their progress was slow, and Navi kept on having to double back and wait for him to catch up.

The castle was strange. Everything was made of blocks of white stone that seemed ancient, but there was not a speck of grime in the place. It reminded Navi of the Temple of Time, only even more pristine, if that were possible. The layout of the castle roughly followed Hyrule Castle, but it was still disorienting to move around it, because of how deserted it was. Not only were there no people walking through the corridors, there weren't any pieces of furniture or even tapestries on the walls. It was like someone had built this entire place and then left without furnishing it at all.

What did that say about Link's current mental state?

They encountered no one else for the longest time, until they had scoured most of the ground floor of the keep and emerged into a small courtyard that, in its counterpart in the waking world, comprised a small garden belonging to Princess Zelda. The layout was a little different, and there were no flowers or other plants growing in the flower beds, but the place was still recognizable.

Link and Navi paused on the edge of the courtyard, drawn up short by the first living person they had encountered. This young man, still in adolescence by the looks of it, was obviously another Link. He looked just like the sleeping body Navi had seen before she'd been sent here—sharp, handsome features still smooth and unblemished with youth; strong, capable hands and tight muscles that bulged beneath his clothing even though he'd been lying asleep for seven years.

The faint sound of humming reached their ears as they stood watching him. It took Navi a little while to recognize the soft notes, but it seemed he was humming Zelda's Lullaby. Navi ventured out into the courtyard, leaving the little, frightened Link cowering at the edge.

The teenage Link seemed at first glance just like the Link she expected would awake and greet her in reality. He lounged against the stairs leading up to the dais on which Zelda had stood when they'd first met her. He was holding a white flower of some kind, though where he'd found it was anyone's guess, since nothing seemed to grow anywhere in this castle. As Navi approached, she realized that he was methodically pulling off one flower petal after another, muttering between snatches of Zelda's Lullaby, "She loves me...she loves me not..." The strangest thing was that he never seemed to run out of petals to pluck. They seemed to have grown back as soon as he had gotten all the way around, so he could start all over again.

He glanced up when she drew near, and smiled placidly at her. "Hey, Navi," he said, then continued plucking away the petals. "She loves me...she loves me not..."

"Um...Link?" she said uncertainly, eyeing the magically-replenishing flower. "Are...you okay?"

He smiled up at her somewhat sleepily, then suddenly his face fell. "No," he said, as though realizing it for the first time. His eyes widened, his mouth drawing downward in a mournful expression. "No, Navi, I'm...I'm _languishing!_ "

There was something in his expression that bothered her, though she couldn't put her finger on what exactly. "Really? Why?"

Slowly, Link got to his feet and took a few steps towards the center of the courtyard, staring into space as if he could see past the empty stones to something in the far distance. He reached out a hand, and murmured, "Zelda...my heart pines for thee...it pines like a tree..."

Navi fluttered around his head, looking at the soppy expression on his face in alarm. Not only was he lounging around picking at flowers and staring off into the distance, now he was making terrible poetry...

"You're in love with Zelda!" she realized. She didn't know why the knowledge surprised her so much—his partiality to the pretty princess had been obvious from the first time they'd met. But...well, Navi was used to Link being a child, with a child's affections and desires. She supposed she would have to get used to him as an adult now.

"Zelda..." he gurgled, clasping the flower to his heart and smiling up at the darkness above the courtyard. "My beautiful princess..."

"Okay," Navi said firmly, flying up to intercept his line of vision. "We can think about this later. For now, we just need to get the others and get you all out of here, all right?"

With a sigh, Link plopped down to sit on the flagstones again. "No thanks," he said dreamily, starting to pluck at the flower petals again. "I just want to sit quietly and think about Zelda for a while."

Navi put her hands on her hips and used her sternest, bossiest tone. "Link, stop being stupid. You know there are more important things at stake here, right?"

" _Nothing_ is more important than Zelda," Link whispered, caressing the flower like it was Zelda's hand.

Navi let out an irritated groan and threw her hands up in the air. "Fine! But if you don't come along, you'll never wake up, and then you'll never see Zelda again!"

Slowly, Link looked up, his face ashen. That thought seemed to break through the fog of infatuation in his mind, and he hastily got to his feet. "Can you take me to her?" he asked eagerly. "Oh, _please_ take me to see her, Navi!"

"Right," Navi said, eyeing him warily. His preoccupation with Zelda seemed to have removed every trace of discernment and wisdom from him, until he was willing to simply go along with anything he heard. "Yeah, just...follow me, and I'll get you where you need to go."

"Lead the way!" Link crowed happily, skipping along behind her as she rejoined the timid Link lurking in the doorway. He shied back as the teenage Link approached, but the teenage Link seemed so preoccupied with thoughts of Zelda that he barely even noticed his childish counterpart.

As the little group continued on their way, ascending a broad staircase to the second level, Navi felt like an overworked sheepdog attempting to herd two very reluctant sheep. The child Link cowered and shrank back from every corner and doorway they passed, and required gentle encouragement at almost every step of the way. The teenage Link, on the other hand, would often wander off in the wrong direction or stop walking entirely, staring off dreamily into space or resuming his favorite pastime of shredding the replenishing flower in his hands. Navi had to kick him in the forehead or tug on his pointed ear more than once to get him moving again.

By the time they finally found the next Link, Navi was thoroughly frustrated and wished only that they would reach their goal soon. They peeked into a long, narrow hall that looked like it might have been a gallery of some sort, or maybe an eating hall, in the real Hyrule Castle. Standing at the far end, gazing out a window with his back to them, stood another version of Link as an adult. When he heard the shuffle of feet, he turned to face them, his left hand drifting to his shoulder as if to unsheathe a sword that wasn't there.

Navi came up short several feet from him, leaving the other Links bunched up in the doorway. From behind, this new Link had looked much like the other grown-up Link, or like the one who was currently asleep under Rauru's watchful eye. He wore a green tunic like always, with sturdy boots and white hose just as she'd expected. But when he turned to face her, she saw that this Link was much older than any other she'd seen yet. He looked to be in the middle of his life, his face beginning to grow lined and a tuft of silver hair mingling with the golden locks poking out from under his green hat. His shoulders were broader, his chest fuller, than she was used to seeing—he wasn't fat, but bulky with well-toned muscles that had seen many years of use. The left hand he slowly lowered to his side was rough and callused, and a faint scar ran down one side of his face, tracing a white line through one of his eyebrows.

"Navi," he grunted, his voice lower even than the teenage Link. There was something unbearably weary about the way he looked at her—a sadness darkening his blue gaze. "I should have known you'd come."

Navi shook off her momentary hesitation at this Link's unexpected appearance and tried to sound chipper. "Of course I came! I couldn't just leave you all strung out like this, right? You've got to wake up, Link. We've been asleep for seven years. There's so much for us to do!"

To her surprise, instead of nodding with determination or following along behind the others, Link let out a weary sigh and leaned against the wall, crossing his muscular arms. "I know," he said with a grimace. "So much to do. There's _always_ so much for me to do."

Navi wasn't used to hearing such a defeated, exhausted tone in his voice. "Well...it's because you're the right man for the job, I guess. You're the only one who _can_ save Hyrule, when all is said and done."

"Right." His jaw worked silently for a moment, then he spat out, "It's all up to me, isn't it? I've been working so hard, for so long, because I was the only one who could. The weight of the whole world rests on _my_ shoulders, but do I get any thanks for it? Do I get a moment's rest? No, of course not."

"You've had _seven years_ of rest," Navi said flatly. "Don't you think that's enough? Come on, Link, you're not like this. Didn't you tell me once that it felt _good_ to save the helpless and fight the battles they never could?"

Link closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing in deeply. When he opened them again, his whole face seemed to sag with weariness. "I don't think I can do that anymore, Navi. I just...I don't have the strength to keep going. Not when there's so much stacked up against us. Zelda gone...Ganondorf after our very lives... I've been stuck here for a long time, Navi. I've had time to think it all over. There's simply no way I can hope to defeat that much evil all by myself. I would need to be as powerful as Ganondorf, if not more so, but I'm just one man. One man who hardly knows what he's doing half the time."

Navi's wings wilted slightly. The hopeless tone of his voice was starting to prey on her and make _her_ wonder if this struggle was futile too. After all, there were no guarantees that she could even get Link to wake up again, let alone actually defeat any of their enemies or bring light and peace back to the land.

But no. She couldn't give in to despair like this. There was something special about Link, and there always had been—even back when he was nobody, just another Kokiri. There was indefatigable strength hidden deep inside his heart, and that was exactly what Hyrule needed in its time of distress.

"You _do_ have the strength," she said, quietly but firmly. "I know you better than just about anyone, Link, and I _know_ that you're strong enough for this. Hyrule needs you. Zelda needs you. _I_ need you. And I know you well enough to know that, whenever someone needs your help, you will _always_ find the strength to help them. Because that's who you are."

The old, tired Link gazed at her for several long, drawn-out moments. Then slowly, unexpectedly, he smiled. The effect made him look much younger than before—almost the same age as he was on the outside. "You always know the perfect thing to say, don't you, old friend? All right, let's go."

When the old Link passed his two counterparts, the others reacted just as they had to each other: the child cowered back, and the love-struck teenager was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to pay him any mind. The older Link glanced over the other two and grunted, clearly unimpressed with the other portions of his mind.

"You're nearly there," he told Navi. "I've paced over every inch of this castle, and I know there's just one place left to go: the tower."

"Really?" Navi sped after him as he started down the hallway, the others shuffling along in their wake. "And once we get that last Link, you'll wake up?"

"Maybe. Can't say I've tried it before."

Now that they had someone who knew their way, their progress was much swifter, notwithstanding the inevitable delays as the child Link grew frozen with fear or the teenage Link became sidetracked. Before long, they reached a door that led to a steep, narrow staircase spiraling upwards. The old Link started up, and Navi took the rear, chivvying the other two Links up the stairs ahead of her.

So when they reached the top of the tower, Navi was the last to emerge from the staircase. For a moment, she was so awestruck she didn't even notice the last Link. The tower room was round, and not very large, with a window that opened out on the pitch darkness that encompassed the whole castle. When she fluttered further into the room, she could see the whole castle stretching out below them through the window. She could plainly see the courtyard where the teenage Link had been lounging, and beyond it, the guardhouse where she'd found the child Link. She even thought she spotted the window the old Link had been looking out of, though it was hard to tell when every window looked alike.

Closer to hand, the stones of the tower room were almost invisible. For the first time since she had arrived in this strange place, she saw greenery. Thick vines, like the ones that graced the trees in the Sacred Forest Meadow, curled over the windowsill and sprawled across the floor and the curved wall. Leaves and fronds of many different plants spiderwebbed across the ceiling, turning the whole room into a lush, green haven of life.

In the center of all this foliage sat the last Link of all. Navi realized that she hadn't immediately spotted him, because of course his green garb blended in perfectly with the plants. He sat on a tree stump that inexplicably sprouted from the stones in the very center of the floor, chin resting on his knees, hands clasped about his ankles. He stared at the floor as if deep in thought, and didn't acknowledge their presence.

This Link was a child, and at first glance reminded Navi a lot of the child she had first found, but since that boy was currently trying to hide behind a leaf jutting out of the wall, the resemblance stopped at their apparent age. Navi flew closer to the Link sitting on the stump, alighting on one of his knees so she could look him in the eye. "Hey," she said softly when his eyes focused on her. "I've come to find you, Link."

His big blue eyes filled with tears, and he shook his head, dropping his eyes back to the floor.

"What's the matter?" Navi asked, stroking the skin of the knee she sat on. "Come on, tell me why you're crying."

"Kid won't talk." The old Link had wandered over to the window, so he could gaze over the castle that composed their entire world. "I tried it, you know. At first. Don't think he can say anything."

The teenage Link was mumbling to himself and absently picking apart a leaf. The frightened child seemed to be trying to blend in with the wall, and the older man just stood looking out the window. None of them were going to be any help.

Navi looked back up at the child in front of her. Somehow, she felt that this Link was the one who needed her most. He reminded her, more than any of the others, of the Link she had first met in Kokiri Forest. He looked just as he had when she had encountered him in the forest, all alone. He'd always been an outcast, set apart from every other creature in the forest, as though everyone could tell there was something different about him.

"Something special," she murmured aloud. "There's something special about you, Link. I know it, deep down in my heart. That's what makes you a hero. That's what the Great Deku Tree saw in you from the beginning. That's why I know you won't let this stop you."

Link just shook his head morosely, as if he didn't have a single thing left to hope for. He patted his chest with both hands, then made a gesture like he was tearing something away, and flung it away from himself. His fingers came to a stop, pointing at the other Links in the tower.

Even though he spoke no words, Navi thought she understood what he was trying to say. "I know," she said soothingly. "You were ripped apart. Touching the Triforce made you like this, stuck in separate pieces. It's okay, Link. I know you did this for your own protection. It was the only way you could withstand such power."

A silent sob shook Link's shoulders, and tears rolled down his face.

"Shhhh," Navi whispered, rubbing circles into the skin of his knee. "You were just a boy, you poor thing. I know you shouldn't have to shoulder this burden all alone. But you can do it, Link. I know you can."

Link shook his head, sniffling, and moved to cover his face with his hands.

But Navi fluttered up to him and pulled his hands back down. " _No,_ Link," she said firmly. "I know sometimes it seems like you don't have what it takes to be the hero everyone needs you to be. I know you thought you could handle the Triforce, and this setback makes you feel like you don't have the pure heart the true master of the Triforce needs. But you know what? Being brave doesn't mean you have no fear."

The boy peeked out from behind the vines.

"Being wise doesn't mean you can't be foolish sometimes."

The teenager looked up from his flower, cocking his head to the side and really listening for the first time.

"And being strong doesn't mean that you never grow weary."

The old Link turned around, watching silently.

"It just means that you try," Navi said. She was looking up at the Link sitting on the stump, but her words were meant for all four of them. "And you keep trying. And you never give up, no matter what. And when you're afraid, I'll be there for you. When you don't know what to do, I'll help you figure it out. When you feel like you don't have the strength to carry on, just _tell_ me, Link. I'll do everything I can to help you. I promise."

Link looked at her with shining eyes, and reached out a hand to cup around her glowing warmth. "Maybe...we can do it...together?"

For the first time, hope bloomed in his eyes, and warmth flooded her chest. She flew up to his face and tried to wipe away his tears. "Of course we can," she said with utmost gentleness. "But only if you wake up, silly. Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?"

Link closed his eyes and pressed her close against his cheek. When he opened them again and let her pull back, she saw that they were again in the Chamber of the Sages, and Link was lying on the stone pedestal. He blinked at her, and then he smiled. "Five more minutes?"

Navi slapped him.


	53. Keeping a Secret

**Author's Note: This was the first idea that came to mind when I saw this prompt. I tried to think of something else I could do with it, since the focus is more on Zelda, but in the end I think this was an important development I needed to explore, because I kept on coming back to it. It wouldn't leave me alone, so buckled down and wrote it after all. There's more I can do with this idea, so it will be continued in the next chapter.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Water Temple**

 **Theme 53: Keeping a secret**

Keeping a secret from Link wasn't easy to do. They were together every moment of the day and night, and they shared everything—every thought, every new piece of knowledge. They were partners, both of them working towards the same goal of saving the kingdom. And beyond that, they were best friends. Navi loved being the one Link confided in, especially because he was normally so quiet and taciturn around everyone else. She was the only one who knew his deepest secrets.

So it felt like a breach of trust to hold something back from him—especially something so important, so dear to his heart. The weight of her secret seemed to drag her down to earth sometimes, so it took all of her willpower to not let it show and make Link realize something was wrong.

But what else could she do? There were too many reasons to keep silent.

It was in the aftermath of the Water Temple that she discovered the dangerous truth. Exhausted as they were from the grueling trek through the temple and the desperate battle against Morpha, the amoeba-like monster in its center, Link and Navi were filled with elation. More than half of the Sages were awakened now. Defeating Ganondorf actually seemed attainable now.

With Ruto awakened as a Sage, Lake Hylia was restored to its natural state. The oppressive gloom lifted from the area, the chill left the air, and grass began to grow on its banks again. The lake itself, which had been reduced to little more than a frigid puddle submerging the entrance to the temple, began to fill the empty crater again. Cracked earth that had lain bare and dry for seven years greedily soaked up the clean water that gushed out of the temple.

Unfortunately, Link was trying to swim out of the temple at the same time all that water rushed out to its rightful place. Navi clung to Link's hair with one hand and clutched the fabric of his hat to her face with the other, because that magic cloth was the only thing keeping her from drowning. She couldn't see through the hat, but she could tell that Link was tumbling head over heels, unable to swim or direct himself in any way. They were caught in the merciless pull of the current.

At long last, their topsy-turvy came to an end, and the roar of water around her body softened to a gentle lap. But the water still surrounded them, and she couldn't feel any upward movement. It was like Link wasn't trying to swim up to the surface at all. Navi gasped through the cloth allowing her to breathe, but she couldn't poke her head out to check on him. What had gone wrong? Had he hit his head? She remembered him taking off his iron boots, so even if he was unconscious, he should still float to the surface, breathing through the cloth tied over his nose and mouth...

After an eternity of indecision, Navi felt a sudden rush upwards. Relieved, she held on tight until the water streamed away from her as Link's head broke the surface of the water. Instead of deep underwater sounds pressing against her eardrums, she heard the sound of lapping waves and birds chirping shrilly in the clear morning air. Taking a deep breath of real, fresh air, she flung aside Link's hat and emerged into the bright sunlight.

At first, the newly-risen sun sparkling on the waves was so dazzling that Navi couldn't take in her surroundings. But then she realized that Link wasn't moving beneath her. She didn't see his arms moving strong and sure through the water as he swam to shore. Instead, he lay limp in someone else's arms as they made their way to the little island in the middle of Lake Hylia.

Wet golden hair streamed out from the strips of white cloth that normally held it in place. A slender but strong arm wrapped around Link's torso, dragging him along as thin legs propelled them towards the island with the lightning-blasted tree. Navi was so small that she could do nothing to help Sheik; she was so wet and bedraggled that she couldn't even fly.

As Sheik wearily dragged Link's waterlogged body up onto dry ground, Navi tumbled down to the dirt beside him. Now that she could see his face, her heart thudded with anxiety. His eyes were closed, his skin pale and greyish. His lips looked almost as blue as his tunic... And then she realized what the problem was. "The breathing cloth!" she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "It must have come off..."

Sheik mopped the long, sopping strands of hair out of his face and examined Link closely. He grabbed Link's shoulders and shook him roughly. "Wake up, hero! Snap out of it!"

Navi clambered up Link's belt, her hands running over the many pouches and loops holding all of the items he used to traverse the dangerous temples. But he'd drunk the last of his potions in that battle against Morpha, and she didn't know of any fairy fountains for miles around.

"No!" Sheik's voice cracked, quavering up a whole octave. "Don't do this to me, Link!" He pounded both fists on Link's chest, as if to start his heart beating again with their rhythm.

Navi's heart sank into her toes. She reached up and laid a hand on Link's side. It was cold, and his tunic was still dripping steadily. "Sheik..." she choked out, "he's...he's not breathing..."

The sob that broke out of Sheik's throat sounded odd, but Navi was trembling and didn't pay it any mind. "Then I'll breathe _for_ him!" Sheik cried, ripping away the white cloth that always obscured his face except for his large blue eyes.

Navi never claimed to be an expert on humans, but she wasn't blind. The delicacy of Sheik's features, the shape of the lips and the chin...combined with those long, elegant fingers...and all that hair...not to mention just how _high_ that voice was... Navi glanced down at Sheik's clothes, damp and clinging to the body more tightly than usual, outlining a figure that _definitely_ looked feminine.

Sheik clamped her lips over Link's and breathed into him, coaxing his chest to rise and fall with her rhythm. Navi stood transfixed, watching and unable to do anything to help. Though most of her attention was devoted to watching Link's face for any signs of life, she couldn't help watching Sheik too. The desperate fear in the Sheikah's face, contrasted sharply with the tenderness in the way she touched Link's face, made Navi realize what she should have seen all along, no matter how hard Sheik tried to hide it.

 _She loves him._

Suddenly, with a great gagging and coughing, Link began to breathe on his own. He struggled to rise, and Sheik swiftly helped him turn to the side as he expelled an astonishing amount of lake water and vomit. Navi quickly danced out of the way, more relieved than revolted, and hastened to fill one of Link's empty bottles with water for Sheik to help him wash up a bit.

Once Link had quieted down, drawing deep breaths and sinking back into Sheik's arms, he looked up at the face exposed to him at last. His eyelids tugged wearily downwards, his lashes fluttering as he tried to stay awake. "Zelda...?"

"Hush, now," she murmured, cradling his head in her lap and stroking his wet hair out of his eyes. "Just rest."

His eyes slid closed, and for a moment it looked like he had fallen asleep. But suddenly his eyes snapped open again, and he moved as if to rise. "Navi...?"

"I'm right here," Navi said, hastening forward and grabbing the little finger on the hand scrabbling weakly at the ground. "It's all right."

"Oh..." Link's head fell back in Sheik's lap, his eyes closed, and his breathing deepened almost immediately. His fingers curled unconsciously around Navi's body, holding her gently in his sleep.

Navi looked up at Sheik—at her feminine features, at the fond look on her face as she gazed down at Link, at the golden hair and blue eyes. Of course, many Hylians had hair and eyes that shade, just like Link did. That didn't mean much by itself...but there weren't a whole lot of Hylian women Navi knew of who knew enough about Link to look at him like that. And besides, Navi had always wondered how Sheik had known to meet Link in the Temple of Time that day. It was like she had already known what his quest was. Like she had known everything about him.

"You _are_ Princess Zelda, aren't you?" she asked, sitting back comfortably in Link's hand.

Sheik—Zelda—sighed and tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear, not taking her eyes from Link's face. "Don't tell him. Please."

"Why not?" Navi demanded hotly. "All this time, Link's been longing to see _you!_ He worries about you constantly, he's always trying to find out what happened to you since you fled the castle all those years ago... And you've been right beside him all along, keeping him in the dark! Why?"

At last Zelda looked down at Navi. Her face sagged with weariness and misery. "You don't know how hard it's been, keeping silent. But...I can't tell him. You must see it. Link...he's so honest. I think it's impossible for him to lie. So it...it has to be this way. Just in case. If Ganondorf ever found out where I was—"

"Link would _never_ betray you," Navi interrupted. "How could you even think he would do anything to hurt you?"

Zelda shook her head. "No...I know he would never do such a thing intentionally. But...even an undue familiarity may raise Ganondorf's suspicions. It's better if Link knows nothing...until the time is right for me to reveal myself."

Suddenly, her eyes focused sharply on Navi. "You must promise to keep this a secret," she said. "This is for his good as well as my own. And for the good of all Hyrule."

In that moment, Navi felt as though she were looking into the eyes of three separate people. Sheik, the mysterious bard dogging their steps. Princess Zelda, waiting and hoping for the Hero to save her people. And there was also a simple girl, barely old enough to be considered a woman, lonely and unable to share her joys and sorrows with anyone.

The thing was, all three of those women loved Link. And Navi knew that once he learned the full truth, he would love every part of her too. But Zelda was right. Link wore his heart on his sleeve, and right now there was more than Link's heart at stake. So she went against her own inclination, and even though it felt like a betrayal of her best friend, she told Zelda, "I promise."


	54. Tower

**Author's Note: Even the best of friends will have their inevitable arguments and times they hurt each other, intentionally or otherwise. I think the strength of any relationship can be demonstrated in what happens when those disagreements and hurts crop up. A true friendship won't implode just from something like this.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Ganondorf's Castle**

 **Theme 54: Tower**

"You knew."

Link leapt out of the way of the darting knife, cleanly slicing through the Lizalfos from shoulder to hip in the same smooth movement. With the sound of a deflated bellows, the Lizalfos crashed to the stone floor, its dagger clinking down beside it.

"Link," Navi panted, zipping after him as he stomped across the room. Her wings beat frantically to keep up. "Link, please—"

"You knew all along!" Link growled.

"No!" Navi let out a little squeak as the door slammed shut, her wings barely avoiding getting caught in the gap. "It's not like that, it's—it was the Water Temple. I only learned the truth at the Water Temple!"

"Oh, is that all?" Link snapped, shearing the head off a Stalfos with such force that the skull bounced off the wall and clunked against another Stalfos' helmet. Link took advantage of the distraction and knocked the blade out of its skeletal hands, then jammed his sword through the gaping ribs of the Stalfos' chest. The animated skeleton fell apart, bones clattering to the floor. "You only found out _weeks_ ago? That makes me feel _so_ much better about you not telling me!"

"Link..." Navi trailed away despondently as Link dispatched the rest of the Stalfos with a vicious, whirling sweep of his blade.

As the last few bones crashed to the floor, Link flung a furious look in her direction as he swiped the back of his wrist across his sweaty forehead. Then he was off again, charging through the next door and up the spiraling staircase to the next level of the tower.

"Link, please!" Navi cried, trailing after him. "I'm sorry, I—I _wanted_ tell you, so many times!"

Link spared only a moment to glance around the room and ascertain that it was empty except for a massive square pillar holding up the ceiling. Then he whirled on Navi. "You _wanted_ to, did you? You thought maybe, just maybe, I would have liked to know Zelda was all right? That she knew where I was? That I...that all this time, I thought Sheik..." He growled and turned away, stomping towards the door leading further up the tower. "And now Ganondorf has her! Because I couldn't protect her, didn't know I _needed_ to protect her, because you—"

"This isn't my fault!" Navi shrieked. Her miserable feelings of guilt and regret faded in the face of her anger, swiftly kindled as always. She darted in front of Link's face, flashing right in front of his eyes so he had to flinch back. "I made a promise to Princess Zelda, and _excuse me_ if I thought it was important to keep it, but it wasn't _me_ who kidnapped her, okay?"

"But if I had _known..._ " Link protested, glancing desperately up at the ceiling, as if hoping to see her through the floors separating them.

"It wouldn't have happened any different," Navi cut across him. "Zelda would have had to reveal herself sooner or later, and then Ganondorf would have kidnapped her just the same, whether you knew who she was or not."

Link began to pace restlessly back and forth as Navi pressed on.

"Don't you think Zelda had a good reason for wanting to keep her identity a secret from you? Don't you trust her judgment enough by now? If you'd known it was her...maybe this wold have happened sooner."

That brought Link up short. He turned to face her, looking as stunned as if someone had slapped him. "What? I-I would never betray her..."

"Not intentionally," Navi said impatiently. "But if you knew who she really was, don't you see that you'd be much more familiar with her? What if Ganondorf's spies were around, and figured out who she was—or at least knew how important to you she was! What if she was in danger and you called out her name—and your enemies all heard you say Zelda instead of Sheik?"

Link placed a hand on the door to the next room and grew still. He frowned down sightlessly at the floor, but he wasn't arguing anymore.

"Look," Navi said softly, fluttering a little closer, "I'm sorry I kept the truth from you, but I meant it for the best. I never wanted to hurt you—or Zelda. I thought I was doing the right thing."

Drawing a deep breath, Link straightened again and looked straight into Navi's blue glow. "Is there anything else you're keeping from me?" he asked in a level tone.

"No." Navi shook her head with a tinkling sound.

For a moment, Link just looked at her silently, and she half expected him to start shouting again or declare his distrust of her. Instead, he muttered, "Well, if we're going to save Zelda, we'd better get a move on."

As Navi trailed along after him, climbing ever higher to the top of the tower, she decided that was probably the best forgiveness she could hope for from this situation. He was letting her help him again. That was more than he would allow for anyone who had seriously betrayed him or harmed the ones he loved. For now, it would have to be enough.


	55. Waiting

**Author's Note: I think the true measure of a friendship isn't just in the highest or lowest points. It's also seen in the quiet moments in between, the ones that hardly seem worth writing about. I decided to write about one.**

 **Timeline: Child; Zora's River**

 **Theme 55: Waiting**

When Link had set out to become a hero and save the world, he'd envisioned it involving a lot more galloping over hill and dale to rescue helpless innocents in the nick of time. As it turned out, he didn't have a horse at all, and walking everywhere...well, it took time. Lots of time.

As dire as Hyrule's fate was, as desperate as Ganondorf was to snatch the Spiritual Stones away from their rightful owners and seize the Triforce for himself, Link simply couldn't run across the whole country in a single day. Every time he complained, Navi reminded him that a steady, sustainable pace was better than rushing headlong and finding himself completely worn out when it came time to face their enemies.

So they walked eastward, following the Zora River to its source. They didn't race through the night, but stopped as the sun sank out of sight and made sensible little campfires to keep the wild animals at bay while Link rested up for another day of steady _walking._

Going at this pace, it was hard sometimes to remember how dangerous his quest really was. The summer nights were cool, but not uncomfortable, and the soft rushing sound of the river, accented by the croaking of frogs and chirping of crickets, was more soothing than Link could have imagined. It was so relaxing to lie on his back and count the stars he'd never been able to see beneath the canopy of the trees in Kokiri Forest.

Unexpectedly, a great wave of homesickness swamped him, seeming to fill his lungs as he drew breath, drowning him as effectively as if he'd stuck his head in the river. "When do you think we'll be able to go back to the forest?" he murmured, his voice nearly lost under the murmur of the water.

Navi's blue glow poked out of his hat, lying on the grass by his side. She liked to curl up in it like it was a bedroll custom-made for a fairy. For several long moments, she was silent. He couldn't tell if she was looking at him, or just gazing into space.

"I don't know," she finally said. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah..."

They had been back to visit only once since he had taken that first bold step into the unknown. Sometimes, he felt that the only thing he missed about Kokiri Forest was Saria, whose kindness and cheerful smile had often been the only thing to sustain him in his lonely existence. But at times like this, when he was surrounded by new and strange environments, he missed even the smell of the place. There weren't enough trees out here in the wide open world. The sun shone too brightly for the shade to turn a cool, soothing green. All the leaves blew away, rather than building up in drifts against tree trunks year after year, till the air was full of the spicy, rich scent of decay—soil in the making, death breaking down into new life. The air out here was clear and fresh, but sometimes Link couldn't help thinking that it just smelled...empty.

"You miss it," Navi said quietly.

Link glanced at her. She sat cross-legged on his hat, her tiny head turned towards him. He returned his gaze to the stars and softly breathed, "Yes." He let out a chuckle that stuck in his throat. "Farore help me, but I do."

"I would have thought...well, that you'd be glad to leave."

"I was. I am." Link sighed and shifted to face her, tossing aside a pebble that had been digging into his back. "I mean...I never really felt like I was welcome there. That I belonged with the rest of the Kokiri. But...I guess it's just what I was used to. Everything's so different out here. Sometimes I just want what's familiar...even if what's familiar wasn't really that nice all the time." He pictured Mido's snub-nosed, freckled face sneering at him. The girls whispering behind their hands as he passed. The Know-It-All Brothers telling him he couldn't participate in their athletic competitions because he didn't have a fairy.

Navi sighed and hung her head. "Link...I owe you an apology. One I should have given you a long time ago."

Link propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her in confusion. The note of guilt that had entered Navi's voice wasn't at all like her usual, chipper self. "What are you talking about?"

Navi hugged her knees up against her chest and rested her chin on them. "I was around, you know. Before I met you. I was in the forest, I saw all the Kokiri, I knew you all by name. Sometimes I'd talk to some of you, or at least to the guardian fairies. For as long as I can remember, I knew there was a little boy who'd never gotten a fairy. Everybody talked about you, of course. You were so different."

Somehow, it had never occurred to Link that Navi must have been one of the myriad fairies that dwelt in the forest. There were always fairies flitting about the trees or dancing overhead. Link had never really paid them much attention, because obviously none of them had singled him out to become his guardian. They were just...fairies. Just another piece of the forest he took for granted. He'd probably seen Navi plenty of times before, without realizing how important she would be to him one day.

"All that time...I could have gone to you," Navi murmured. "There were a thousand times I could have made the decision to become your guardian fairy. And if I had...well, you wouldn't be so different, would you? They wouldn't have teased you so much...you would have had more friends... If I had only realized my destiny sooner...I could have spared you so much suffering."

Link was startled at the weight of grief and sorrow in her voice. He hadn't realized all of this had been weighing on her mind for so long. "It's...not that bad, Navi. Really. I mean, it was hard sometimes, but...well...we're here now, aren't we?"

"But I made you wait so long... You shouldn't have had to wait for me all that time, when I was _right there..._ "

Link smiled down at his beautiful, delicate companion who had already been more loyal to him in the past few weeks than most of the people he had ever known. "Navi...you were worth waiting for."


	56. Danger Ahead

**Author's Note: I was stumped on this prompt for a long time, and the only thing I could think of was Navi's cry of "Watch out!" And...well, she says that a lot ^^' But after shuffling back through previous chapters, I remembered a little AU that I wanted to explore more of, and thought this would be an excellent opportunity to poke at it just briefly.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Shadow Temple (blind AU, after "Teamwork")**

 **Theme 56: Danger ahead**

"Watch out!" Navi's voice cried from somewhere ahead of him. "There's danger ahead!"

Skidding to a halt, Link readjusted his grip on his sword and touched the wall with his right hand to keep his bearings. "Could you be _slightly_ more specific?" he said through gritted teeth.

"No, I can't!" Navi snapped. "I can sense evil right ahead of us, but it's so dark in here..."

She trailed off, and Link turned his head in the direction of her voice. He raised one eyebrow above the strip of cloth obscuring both eyes.

"Sorry," Navi muttered.

Link shook his head. "I probably don't _want_ to see anything in this temple anyway. I'll just be careful."

He stepped forward slowly, pulling out his shield and holding his sword at the ready.

"The hallway turns to the left," Navi whispered, hovering next to his ear.

He took another step, then heard a rushing sound from overhead that made his stomach swoop with an all-too-familiar terror. For a moment, he couldn't think what that sound meant...

"Wallmaster!" Navi shrieked.

Link threw himself froward, ducking into a roll just as he heard the _fwump_ behind him of an enormous detached hand hitting the floor. He rolled to his feet, slashing his sword desperately behind him as the scuttling of huge, broken nails against stone grew closer. The blade whistled through empty air, but Link used the momentum to spin around and face the monster.

"Right in front of you—now!"

Link stabbed straight ahead at the same moment as Navi's cry, and felt a satisfying crunch through the weapon as his sword shattered the bone of one giant finger. The Wallmaster had no voice to cry out in pain, but Link could easily imagine it recoiling, reconsidering its attack on what it had assumed was weak prey.

"Back!" Navi called, and Link flipped backwards, just in time to hear the angry scrape of nails against stone.

"Swing!"

He pressed the advantage, slashing his sword through the air with a horizontal swipe for each step he took. Each connected with the Wallmaster, driving it back so quickly it had no chance to retaliate.

"Now spin!"

Link let power course down his arm and into his blade. With a yell, he released it in a deadly spin that hit the Wallmaster again and again, dealing pain with every revolution. When he had first tried fighting without use of his eyes, spinning like this had left him dizzy and disoriented. But after months of practice, he was now able to plant his feet, raise his sword, and hear the Wallmaster collapse into pieces directly in front of him.

"Phew," Navi breathed. "I hate those things."

"I'm sure there are plenty of monsters in this temple worse than Wallmasters."

"Hard to imagine that," Navi said with a tinkling shudder. "But you're doing really well so far!" she added brightly. "It's almost like...well, like you can see again!"

Link smiled in her direction. He almost thought he could glimpse her cheery blue glow cutting through the enclosing darkness. "I can, with you as my eyes."


	57. Sacrifice

**Author's Note: I've been sitting on this idea for way too long ;) Not only do I get to explore some ideas about Link and Zelda's son, I also get to play around with Dark Link again! I started planning this as soon as I decided not to get rid of Dark Link in "Insanity." I just knew I could do more with him!**

 **Timeline: Adult; a year or two after "Mother Nature"**

 **Theme 57: Sacrifice**

 _for SunshinePony37, whose ideas meshed perfectly with my intentions_

When Queen Zelda bore a son, there was much rejoicing in the land of Hyrule. With all wars ended and the evil Ganondorf sealed away in the Dark Realm, and now with a healthy heir to the throne securing the line of succession, everyone agreed they must now be entering a golden age of peace and prosperity.

Navi found this whole series of events utterly fascinating. Having grown up around nothing but fairies and the ageless Kokiri, she simply wasn't used to seeing the humble beginnings of human life. Kokiri's memories only extended back ten years or so, fading and getting fuzzy as time went on, so most of them didn't even remember toddling out of the shadows of the forest. Kokiri were made to focus on the present, so even when one wandered off or got into some terrible accident, the loss was soon pushed to the back of the carefree Kokiri's minds and forgotten. Living in the forest had made Navi assume that things would always stay the same, or change as gradually as the trees themselves.

Naturally, she'd come to realize that the world outside the forest was much more fast-paced than that. But it still came as a shock to see the tiny, screaming, red-faced bundle of flesh and realize that in a few short years, he would be a man like Link.

After all the bustle was over, the distressing amount of blood had been cleaned up, and the nurses left, assured of the queen's health, Link beckoned Navi aside with a nod of his head. Navi fluttered over to the corner where he sat, holding his son as Zelda slept.

"He's so tiny," Navi whispered, hovering over the fold of blankets that revealed the baby's tranquil face. "It's strange to think _you_ were once that small." Link had already been walking and talking by the time she'd come into being.

"I know," Link said with a fond smile, stroking his son's cheek with one finger. "He's so small...yet so precious." The smile slowly slid off his face. "The future of Hyrule rests on his shoulders, Navi. I know that every last one of our enemies would want him dead. He's the last of the royal line, and without him...Hyrule would be thrown into chaos once Zelda and I are gone."

He looked up at Navi with a solemn expression. "So I have an important task to ask of you. Will you be Gavril's guardian fairy?"

Her breath left her in a rush, and for a moment, Navi couldn't say a word. "Yes," she breathed at last. "Oh, _yes._ Link...Your Majesty...I'll guard him with my life."

* * *

Navi took her new position as Official Guardian Fairy to the Crown Prince very seriously. Prince Gavril had a veritable army of nannies and guards and cooks and nurses to do all of the physical lifting and carrying and feeding that someone of her size simply couldn't, but she was his constant companion. Through the long nights, while his parents and servants slept, Navi would stand vigil and fetch a nurse with a bottle if he woke. During the day, when he wasn't feeding or napping, she would flutter around his head like a living mobile, making him giggle or just follow her movements with his big blue eyes.

She hardly ever left the child's side, and once he started to crawl, took to riding around on top of his head, or fluttering in front of him to guide him away from stairs or fireplaces. Zelda laughed that she could always tell when Gavril was approaching because Navi's tinkling wings worked even better than a cowbell.

On Gavril's first birthday, the king and queen threw a magnificent feast in his honor. Not that Gavril was aware of this at all; he had his usual bottle of milk and then fell promptly to sleep up on the dais between his parents' chairs. There were minstrels, dancing, and other forms of entertainment brought from the ambassadors of the other lands at peace with Hyrule.

Navi was enjoying herself thoroughly when suddenly all the high windows went dark, the torches guttered, and even the flames in the huge fireplaces seemed to grow dim. The cheerful laughter and music died away almost at once, as everyone looked around in shock to try to figure out what had happened. Link lowered the goblet of wine he'd raised to his lips, slowly rising from his chair. He placed his right hand on Zelda's shoulder and held out his left. His page started out of his shocked stupor and scurried forwards with Link's sword.

A chilling laugh echoed through the entire hall. For one heart-stopping moment, Navi thought it was the hearty laughter of the evil king who should still be safely bound in the Dark Realm. Then the timbre of the laugh shifted, and Navi realized it sounded even more familiar than that. It sounded...like Link.

Navi fluttered up from Gavril's basket, high enough to see Link's face. His cheeks had gone white, and laughing had never looked further from his mind. Though Link was by no means a light-hearted man, Navi had been his friend since childhood, and she had heard enough joyful, carefree laughter form him to know what it sounded like. But though this laughter was in his voice, there was an undercurrent of something she had never heard in Link's voice. Something...unsettling.

A pillar of black smoke erupted in the middle of the hall, in the empty space cleared for dancing. Those nearest screamed and scrambled backwards out of the way. Then the smoke cleared, or perhaps it solidified to form a foot stepping into the open, soon followed by a leg, an arm, then the rest of the body. A man as black as soot stepped through this rent in the fabric of the world and stood before them, looking around with eyes that glowed red in his black face. His teeth gleamed in a cruel grin as he turned to face Link, standing in the middle of the High Table.

"Don't look so surprised, _Your Majesty,_ " Dark Link said, waving his arms and dipping in a mocking bow. "I confess I didn't expect an invitation to this little feast of yours, but I didn't think you'd be foolish enough to forget me completely."

"What do you want, foul creature?" Link asked in a ringing voice that echoed around the silent hall. "You have no place here."

Dark Link let out a laugh that cracked through the air like a whip. "No place? But you forget, my king. I am your shadow. I walk in your footsteps. There is no escaping me." He tilted his head. "You didn't _really_ think you had gotten rid of me before, did you? Surely you didn't believe I would have given up after failing to switch you with a wolf to tear your woman's throat out?"

Link's sword sang from the sheath still held by the page. "Have a care how you speak of your queen, _monster,_ " Link growled, a hint of that wolf returning to his voice.

As ever, Dark Link was the true Link's mirror image. He drew his sword as well. The blade was black, and shone wetly in the dim light of torches and candles, as if it were coated with oil. "Do you think you can best me, King of Hyrule?"

Link unfastened the ornamental golden cape from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor as he leapt onto the table despite Zelda's gasp of protest. As he held his sword aloft, some of the darkness in the hall seemed to lift. "No. I _know_ I can best you."

Even as Link leapt down on the other side of the table, Dark Link rushed forward to meet him. "Watch out!" Navi cried, zipping up to her accustomed position over his shoulder, where she could see every movement of his enemy. Though Dark Link's stride was the same length as Link's, each step he took ate up the distance between them as if they were a giant's, trailing black smoke behind him. In two easy steps, Dark Link was in front of them, swinging his sword.

Link met his blows, but only just. Navi watched Dark Link as sharply as she could, barking out terse advice that only decades of practice allowed Link to follow in time. Every movement Dark Link made was twice as fast as Link's, trailing smoke that Navi realized had to be the source of his magic.

Everyone was so focused on their king expertly dueling his dark alter ego that they had no attention to spare for anything else. Zelda was busy crafting a spell that would hold Dark Link in place once Link gave her an opening. And Navi was exactly where she always was, where Dark Link had known she would be: at Link's side.

So no one was at the slumbering Gavril's side when another pocket of darkness opened next to the basket, and Dark Link vanished with a puff of smoke only to appear behind the High Table.

While everyone was still crying out and looking around fearfully to see where he had gone, Dark Link grabbed the bundle of blankets in his free hand and held it over his head. Startled awake, Gavril began to wail. Zelda raised a hand to cast a spell, but Dark Link's black blade was already at the little boy's throat.

"One wrong move," he hissed, and Zelda fell as still as when Ganondorf had encased her in crystal.

Panting, Link cried out, "Let him go! Your quarrel is with me, not with an innocent child!"

"Innocent?" Dark Link's cruel smile widened. He jumped onto the High Table, every movement a mockery of when Link had done the same. Instead of a sword, he held the bawling baby over his head.

"Hear me, Hyrule!" he yelled, casting blazing red eyes at all the cowering courtiers and nobles gaping up at him. "Your king begs me to take him rather than his child. Do you think him noble for this? Laying down his life as a sacrifice for the innocent—what a king you have!"

Dark Link lowered Gavril and cradled the baby against his chest. When he spoke, it was directed at the crying baby, though still loud enough for everyone to hear. "But did you know, little princeling, that when your father dies, I die too? For his blood runs in my veins. His blood is all that gives me life. So no." he turned his menacing smile back to Link. "I will not kill the king. To do so would only mean my own death." He tucked Gavril into his sword arm, so he could caress his cheek with one black hand. "But _you,_ my precious little bag of flesh..."

"Stop," Link called, but though his voice was loud enough to echo around the hall again, he sounded defeated already. Navi looked down in alarm as his sword dropped from his fingers and clattered onto the stone floor. "Stop this farce. I know what you really want—you've told me before. You want my suffering. You want me to suffer, and then to die at the height of my agony, so I will go to the grave in as much pain as you."

Dark Link's lip curled at these words, but he did not contradict them. "Do you hope to save your son this way?" he spat. "Do you mean to argue me out of all the delicious pain of slitting the boy's throat in front of you?" The blade once again inched dangerously close to Gavril's little throat. He was crying so hard now he could hardly draw breath.

"I know a deeper pain."

Navi looked over at Link in concern. She knew he must be trying to convince Dark Link to let Gavril go, but she couldn't figure out what his plan was. She couldn't see a way out of this.

"Oh?" Dark Link's voice was mocking, but Navi could tell he was interested. He pulled the blade back a little from the baby. "And what is this 'deeper pain'?"

"To know that with my death, I leave this whole world defenseless."

Not a sound broke the stillness in the hall. No one even seemed to breathe.

Link stood a little straighter. "I am Link, the Hero of Time, bearer of the Triforce of Courage." He raised his left fist, and in the gloom of the hall, the golden lines forming the triangular mark on the back of his hand drew every eye. Normally, the mark on his hand was hardly more noticeable than an old scar, but now it looked as though he had just been branded with a hot iron. Or that the power within him was leaking out through the cracks at this obvious show of bravery.

"I am one point of a precarious seal locking out the greatest danger Hyrule has ever known. My queen bears the Triforce of Wisdom," he added, gesturing to her. Navi fancied she could see the answering glow of her Triforce beneath the white glove. "And the Triforce of Power is held by Ganondorf himself, locking him in from the inside. As soon as one of us dies, the seal will be weakened. Not broken—but weakened. When I die, the Triforce of Courage will pass to another who has displayed the courage of the goddesses—and the same with Wisdom and Power."

Link gave a weary sigh, gazing around at all the people gathered into his castle. They stared back at him in wonder. "If you kill me, then I will die knowing my son will grow up in a world threatened by darkness, a darkness as strong as the one I pushed back with the Sages' help. I will die not knowing who will obtain the Triforce of Courage next, nor what their intentions for it may be. I will die knowing that I have abandoned my kingdom, and all the people I love. You cannot know how much that pains me."

"No, Link..." Navi whispered. She could see what he was doing. It was true that he would hate to die and leave his whole kingdom defenseless, including everyone most dear to him. But as long as Zelda was still alive, and there were those good and wise enough to support her, there was always the hope that they would find a way to protect the land from evil. All hope would not be lost with his death, but it _would_ ensure the end of Dark Link.

Dark Link considered for a moment, but it seemed Link's words made too much sense in his twisted mind. The prospect of inflicting that kind of distress was too tempting, it seemed. "Very well." He tossed Gavril to the side as carelessly as one throws away an apple core.

With a gasp, Navi darted forward, throwing her arms out and pushing all of her levitation magic towards the falling, screaming baby. He stopped in midair long enough for Zelda to scoop him into her arms.

They both turned, terrified, to look back at the two Links facing each other. In the time it had taken for them to catch Gavril, Dark Link had vanished into the pillar of smoke once more. The darkness condensed into an enormous blade, much like the one Dark Link had used to fight before, only as long as Link was tall. The black weapon shot through the air like a spear, heading directly for Link.

Link spread his arms wide, and the blade sank straight into his heart.

"Link!" Zelda screamed, but it was too late.

Link's lifeless body crashed to the ground, spread-eagled, and the black blade dissolved into the cloud of smoke again. For a moment, Link was obscured by the cloud, but then it dissipated as if a wind no one could feel blew it swiftly away. The torches flared brightly on all the walls, bright flames crackled merrily in the great fireplaces, and the light of sunset shone through the western windows as if nothing were amiss.

For a moment, no one moved or spoke. Navi couldn't believe her eyes...it had all happened so fast...

Then Link began to glow. A golden light, as bright as the shadows had been dark, suffused his whole body. He floated into the air, suspended upright by some unseen force, his arms still spread out in a posture of submission. A blinding flash made Navi flinch, and when she blinked the afterimage out of her eyes, she saw that the glowing shape of the Triforce of Courage shone on Link's left hand, where it always did. But Navi could see its glow _through_ his hand; even though she looked at his palm, she could see its shape, as if it were more real than Link's body.

Another flash, and Zelda gave such a start that she nearly fell backwards. Another Triforce glowed through Link's right hand, and Navi realized with astonishment that it looked like the Triforce of Wisdom. With shaking hands, Zelda pulled off her right glove and stared at the skin on the back of her hand. It was bare as it had not been for years upon years.

Though she didn't understand what was happening, Navi was almost prepared for the third flash, and the symbol of the Triforce of Power that blazed on Link's forehead. Three pieces of the Triforce. Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Drawn to the one person alive who exhibited those qualities most strongly. The one blessed by the goddesses.

For the first time in over a thousand years, one who was pure of heart touched the complete Triforce. And the goddesses granted him the deepest desire of his heart.

The golden light blazing around Link's body was too bright to look at directly. Navi threw her arms over her head and looked away, but suddenly she wasn't afraid anymore. She didn't grieve her best friend, didn't worry about Hyrule or any of their loved ones. She had only felt this sure once before, and that was when she had set off on an adventure with Link.

When she had embraced her destiny.

At last, the light subsided. Navi slowly lowered her arms to find Link standing where his dark nemesis had struck him down. He didn't really look any different than he had before—the same friend, the same king, the same hero. There was a jagged, blackened hole in the chest of his best green tunic, marking the place where Dark Link's blade had pierced him, but they could see no wound on his chest. The only difference in his appearance were the glowing marks on his hands and forehead. Their brilliance had subsided to the dull glow they were used to seeing on Link's left hand.

As if by silent agreement, everyone in the hall sank to one knee, bowing their heads to their king. Even Zelda, cradling their hiccuping child in her arms, sank to her knees. She seemed unaware of the tears that streaked down her face as she stared at Link.

Link acknowledged his subjects with a wave of his right hand, then seemed to become distracted by the mark on the back of it. Slowly, he walked up onto the dais, around the High Table, and bent down to raise his queen to her feet once more. She stared up at the Triforce of Power shining on his forehead for a moment, then hid her face in his torn tunic.

As Link drew his little family into his arms, Navi hesitantly fluttered closer. When she peeked timidly over the top of Zelda's head, Link met her with his usual fond smile. "It's all right," he murmured to all of them. "It's going to be okay now..."

And Navi dared to believe he was right.


	58. Kick in the Head

**Author's Note: Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well, I think desperation is also the mother of inspiration. I've seriously been agonizing over this prompt for the past** _ **month,**_ **and couldn't come up with a single thing. Then finally, the day before this chapter needed to be posted, when I was flailing around for the tiniest shred of an idea, and even considering breaking the rules and switching out the prompt for something better, I thought of the monster that is literally a head that could conceivably be kicked. Abruptly, as I was writing what was originally going to be a rather pointless battle scene with maybe some friendly banter, I got a bunch of ideas. Not only did I think of a way to make this work for a request, I actually found a way to turn this into an idea I've had for a long time. I don't know if anyone will remember me mentioning in "Break Away" that I was originally going to do something really angsty instead? This is that idea. Originally, it was going to be Dark Link's doing, but I think I like this better. Now, I know that in Ocarina of Time, you don't actually get cursed when you touch a Bubble, but...come on. It's magical fire. It** _ **has**_ **to do more than just hurting you physically. So I stole the way Bubbles work in some of the other games and just ran with it. This storyline will be continued in some later chapter; I definitely want to explore it some more.**

 **Timeline: Adult; Forest Temple**

 **Theme 58: Kick in the head**

 _for Reiko x 3, who probably wanted this to be in the blind AU, but will have to deal :D_

Link clicked his tongue in irritation, closing his right eye as he aimed his bow at the Blue Bubble floating around the room ahead. It hadn't spotted him yet, and as a skull floating in a cloud of blue flames, it didn't seem able to hear him either. But its movements were so erratic that Link was having a hard time lining up a shot. He hadn't been using this bow very long, and he was down to his last arrow.

With a huff of irritation, Link lowered his bow again. "Guess I'll just have ot go in with sword and shield."

"I don't know," Navi said doubtfully. "It seems kind of dangerous—that fire is cursed, you know. From what I can tell, it dispels magic, so you don't want it anywhere near your magical items. Besides the obvious disadvantage of getting caught on fire," she added wryly.

"I'll be careful," Link said dismissively, moving to slip the arrow back into his quiver.

"Just _wait,_ " Navi snapped, grabbing his hand and flapping her wings furiously to stop him. "Look, I'll go over there and fly in a little circle around it to keep it in place. We already know they pretty much go after anything that moves."

Reluctantly, Link fitted the arrow to the string again. "Okay, then, have it your way..."

Navi zoomed out into the open without further ado, heading straight for the Blue Bubble floating around the middle of the empty room. "That's right, look at me!" she yelled, waving her arms and bobbing up and down to catch the skull's attention.

The Blue Bubble darted after her, looking as angry as a floating skull could. Link raised his bow and drew back the string, following the Bubble's movements much more easily now that Navi was herding it into a tight circle. The Bubble ground its teeth together as it revolved on the spot, trying to keep the glowing annoyance in its line of sight.

An instant before the arrow flew from the string, Navi flew a little too close to the Bubble, and was engulfed in blue flames.

"Navi!" Link yelled, darting from his hiding place around the corner even before the arrow had found its mark. The Bubble dropped to the ground, and a kick in the head sent the skull crashing into the wall, breaking into a thousand pieces. A high-pitched scream echoed around the stone walls, seeming much too loud to come from such a small person.

The ball of blue flames that was Navi hovered in the air for a moment, then plummeted to the ground. Link lunged forward and barely managed to catch her in his hands before sliding several feet across the floor. The flames burned his skin like white-hot needles, but he ignored the pain and closed his fingers around her body, trying to put the fire out.

The flames seemed more resilient than normal fire, but after patting gingerly at them with his hat for a few desperate seconds, the blue fire was extinguished. Link stared down at his friend, ignoring the way his palms and fingers stung. Navi lay still in his hands, and...she wasn't glowing.

Well, maybe that wasn't exactly true. Her blue body was luminous, but there was no bright blaze of light that made it impossible to make out any of her features. He could distinctly see her limbs, even her tiny hands and fingers. He could see the miniscule thread that was her mouth, the barest pinpricks that were her eyes, closed as if in sleep.

For a moment, he couldn't breathe. Was she...?

Her eyelashes were so tiny he could hardly see them flutter, but then he realized her eyes were opening. Blinking. Focusing on him. "Link...?"

It was so strange. He was used to talking with her, looking at her, responding to her as if he could see her face, even though he never had. He found it easy to decipher her body language or her tone of voice, so he'd never even thought much about how he couldn't see her expression. Now he could, and the strangest thing was that it felt as familiar as if he'd seen her face every day.

"Hey," he said shakily. "It's...It's going to be okay. You got hit by the Blue Bubble's fire, but...but you'll be all right?" his voice quavered upwards traitorously at the end, turning his declaration into a question.

"Blue Bubble...dispels magic," Navi murmured, shifting slightly in his hands. He could actually _see_ the grimace of pain on her face. "I...feel funny, Link."

Cold fear clenched around Link's heart. "Don't worry," he rasped hoarsely, shifting her carefully to his right hand so he could reach for the green gem around his neck. "I'll get you to that fairy fountain just outside. You'll be back to normal in no time."

The tiniest little sob made him pause in the middle of tugging t he chain out from under his tunic. He looked down, and for the first time in his life, saw a fairy cry. Silvery streaks trickled down her cheeks and dripped daintily onto his skin, like the tiniest shards of crystal.

"I don't...I don't think...I'll be nor...normal...anymore..." she sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

"Shhh..." Link tried to sound soothing as he untangled the chain, fumbling to twist the gem one-handed and get them out of this temple. "Why would you say that? The fairies will get you right as rain again."

"No," Navi whispered, and her voice was as dull as the stones beneath their feet. "My magic... I can't feel it anymore. I think...I _know..._ it's gone."


	59. No Way Out

**Author's Note: Doing crossovers like this is always difficult. How much do you change? How much stays the same? What characters from one story become the characters of another story? The one that I kept going back and forth on for this installment of the Harry Potter AU was whether Horcruxes and Deathly Hallows ought to be a thing when crossed over with Zelda. Should the motivation for Ganondorf trying to kill Link be the same as Voldemort's motivation for wanting to kill Harry? In the end, I decided vagueness was the best option. You can decide for yourself what's the most satisfying.**

 **Timeline: Harry Potter crossover AU (part 7 of 7)**

 **Theme 59: No way out**

Slowly, Link pushed himself to his feet and looked around. Somehow, he felt as though the Headmaster's office ought to look drastically different—that jagged holes and burns should mar the lush furnishings, that the window should be mere shards of glass, that the empty portraits should be hanging lopsided on the walls. His surroundings should somehow reflect how horribly and completely his life had just changed from what he had seen in the Pensieve.

So. All this time, from the very beginning, he was supposed to die. Rauru had snatched him away from Ganondorf's minions, had placed him securely in the Great Deku Orphanage, knowing the entire time that he would have to die one day. Rauru had _intended_ it to be this way, ever since he had seen the scar on Link's forehead and realized what it meant. Even before he had discovered he was a wizard and had a special destiny to pursue, he had been meant for this fate. There was no way out of it.

He discovered that he wasn't angry. He understood why Rauru had acted the way he had. He could see all the reasons, the careful plans laid out in front of him. It was the only way to defeat the most evil wizard the world had ever known, and prevent him from covering the whole world with his darkness.

Link turned his left hand over and looked at the faint golden triangle etched there. Ever since he had faced Ganondorf in his first year, fully prepared to die if it meant preventing Ganondorf from getting his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, that mark had glowed softly on his skin. It was supposed to be the sign of his immense bravery, a shard of the Triforce that had found its home and blessed him with courage to face the tasks ahead.

So why did he feel so scared now?

Slowly, as if someone were dragging him against his will, Link moved to the door, opened it, and stepped onto the moving staircase that gently deposited him at the bottom of the Headmaster's tower. He walked through the deserted corridors of the school, with nothing to accompany him but the rubble and bloodstains left in the wake of battle.

So many others had lost their lives in the fight against Ganondorf and his minions. So many had sacrificed themselves for _him._ It was only right that he paid the ultimate price as well. If his death could prevent more people from making that sacrifice, it was worth every drop of blood.

Link wasn't sure how long it took him to make it down to the Great Hall, the only place in the whole castle that was still filled with life. The school had already become a crypt—not just for the one now walking to his doom, but also for the rows of corpses he could see lined up in the center of the Hall. Link stood in the shadowy Entrance Hall, looking in at the crowd of survivors quietly milling around the room. Some distributed water and bandages to the wounded, others sat hunched over, exhausted and disheartened. Many knelt beside the lifeless bodies of friends and family members who had died in this pointless conflict.

Zelda walked among the crowd, offering assistance and encouragement where she could. She was like a queen, he thought wistfully. A beloved queen who spread hope and light wherever she walked. He longed to rush to her with his problems, as he always had, and see the little frown of concentration as she said thoughtfully, _I'm sure we can think of a better way._ There was always a better way with her—an ingenious plan to get out of any predicament, an ideal solution that he would never have thought of.

But there was no getting around this one. He didn't need the Triforce of Wisdom glowing on his hand to understand that. He turned away from the light and warmth of the Great Hall, not wanting her to see him. She would never understand, and that would only make what he had to do harder than ever.

When he had nearly reached the huge doors leading outside, which had been bashed into pieces in the battle, a small voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Link?"

Unwillingly, his heart aching as though Ganondorf's fist were already crushing it, Link turned to face the short girl with a strand of bright blue hair. Navi stood next to the shattered hourglass that had once been filled with the emeralds counting Slytherin's house points. She looked even smaller than usual, standing next to it in the shadows. Her blue eyes were big and round as she looked up at him, about to leave the castle and walk into the forest where his greatest enemy waited for him.

Unable to face the hurt, fearful look in her eyes, Link turned away, though his feet seemed rooted to the top of the steps leading out into the grounds. "I have to go," he whispered. "You know I do. He'll...He'll kill everyone otherwise."

"Don't you think he'll do that anyway?" Navi stepped closer, crumbled bits of stone and brick crunching under her shoes. "Why aren't you going to fight?"

Link sighed, looking across at the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest, rustling in the breeze. He knew he had never turned away from a fight like this before. There had always been something brave to do or say, some courageous stand to take against the forces of evil, some way that he could escape every danger that should have killed him.

But sometimes, the most courageous thing you could do was know when you had no other option, and face it head-on. Link didn't know if he had that kind of courage. His knees were shaking so hard he wasn't sure he would even be able to walk.

He hung his head. Some hero. Maybe it was a good thing he was about to die. The Triforce of Courage would find a more capable bearer.

"I have to die," he said softly, "because that's the only way to defeat Ganondorf. Navi...there's a piece of him inside me. There has been, all this time. It's one of the anchors keeping him tied to life. The only way to be rid of him...is for him to kill me."

Navi gasped, and Link could see out of the corner of his eye that her hands flew to her mouth. He didn't have to look at her directly to know tears were welling up in her eyes at this news. But for once, she didn't protest. She didn't tell him he was being stupidly heroic, or try to dissuade him from doing what he'd already decided to do.

He was looking at the Forest again, trying to dredge up the courage to continue the last walk of his life, when he felt a gentle pressure against his side. Navi slid her hand into his and leaned against him, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. "Let me go with you," she whispered.

"Okay," Link said slowly, reluctant to put her in danger but more grateful than he could express to have her by his side one last time. "But you have to promise to leave me to face Ganondorf alone. And then hide, and keep yourself safe. I won't have anyone else dying for my sake."

Navi squeezed his hand. "I promise." And together, they took that first step towards death.

The walk across the grounds, a walk they had made many times before, for mischievous purposes as well as innocent ones, seemed so much shorter than usual. Link felt as though he knew every blade of grass between the castle and the Forest, and he wanted to stop and savor every reminiscence, but he knew he had to keep going.

He and Navi had faced so many dangers on these grounds. Sometimes it was monsters they would have to fight, other times they would have to fend off bullies and snide comments from their fellow classmates. There had been times when life at Hogwarts was so miserable that Link had questioned why he still returned to such a cold, unwelcoming place.

But just as she was now, Navi had always been by his side. Her hand felt so warm in his, so full of life and comfort. He knew now he could never have made it so far without her by his side.

Then came the moment they had both been dreading. They reached the edge of the trees, where they knew only a short distance away, Ganondorf awaited him. Both of them slowed to a stop, then turned to look at each other.

What did you say to your best friend, when you knew it was the last time you would ever speak to them again? Link tried to find words to thank her for her faithful friendship, which had never once wavered in seven years. She had stood by him when no one else would. She was always there with some advice, or something to cheer him up and remind him why he kept fighting.

Navi was crying again, but she didn't seem to notice. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. So instead, she took his other hand as well, and pressed his palms against her cheeks, her tears flowing over his fingers and down his wrists.

Link pulled her closer and rested his forehead on the top of her head, gently rubbing his thumbs back and forth across her cheeks.

In the end, they found that they didn't need words. They both knew what they meant to each other. They both knew what they were giving up. And they both knew how painfully necessary it was.

To step back, pull away from Navi, and turn to face the darkness of the forest took more courage than anything else Link had ever faced in a long life of danger and difficulty. But the Triforce of Courage blazed on his hand, and he began the long walk away from the best friend he had ever known.


	60. Rejected

**Author's Note: This one was really hard for me to come up with. My first thought was to do something about Zelda rejecting Link's proposal or something, but I've already explored that in earlier chapters, so I wanted to do something completely different. I'm not entirely sure how I came up with this scenario, but it seemed to have enough dramatic potential to be going on with. And I will certainly be exploring it further in later chapters as well.**

 **Timeline: Adult; AU after opening the Door of Time**

 **Theme 60: Rejected**

It had taken Zelda the better part of two weeks to find him. Even the little town on the edge of the forest, where he went about once a month to sell furs in exchange for goods he couldn't produce himself, had no definite information on where he lived. They could only tell her which direction he usually came from, and where he'd been spotted by a few of the men who had hunted farther afield. But that still left a large swathe of forested hills that might provide the perfect place for someone to live if they wanted to hide away from the world.

Now, at long last, she had found it: a little log cabin tucked away in a small clearing near a chattering brook, hidden from the nearest pathway by an outcropping of rock that jutted out of the steep hillside like the prow of a ship. It looked like a snug, if rustic, little house. A tiny vegetable garden grew on one side, and an axe stood embedded in a large stump next to an ample pile of firewood. Her heart leapt when she noticed a thin, comforting trail of smoke curled up from a chimney on one side. He was home.

Zelda was about to step out of the cover of the trees when she felt a cold blade against her neck. She tried to glance to the side to see who had managed to sneak up on one who had been trained for seven years by the last living Sheikah, but all she could see was a green sleeve.

"Who are you?" growled a rough voice in her ear.

Zelda glanced down at the hand pressing the knife blade against her throat. It was the man's left hand, and shining on the back of it was the symbol of the Triforce of Courage.

"If you let me remove my wrappings, I'll show you."

Instead, Link flicked the blade of the knife upwards, cleanly slicing through the white cloth wrapped around her nose and mouth. The wrappings barely had time to fall to the ground before he spun her around to face him.

Zelda thought she'd been prepared for the changes time had wrought on him, but it was one thing to imagine him as a man. Quite another to see the boy she had known standing before her, seven years older. He was taller than her now, and while he still dressed in a green tunic like the Kokiri, he no longer wore the pointed green hat. His golden hair was longer than it had been, pulled back in a ponytail with a strip of leather. Brown leggings were tucked into hardy boots, and instead of a sword and shield, he only had a bow and quiver of arrows slung over his back. A light dusting of hair covered his chin, and his blue eyes were hard as stones as he looked her over.

The knife, which he still pointed at her throat, wavered a little. "Zelda?"

Moving slowly so as not to startle him, Zelda reached up and pulled off the white cloth that bound her long golden hair around her head. It fell in long plaits down her back, which she was sure made her look a bit more like the girl he had met seven years ago. "It's so good to see you again, Link. I...I've missed you."

Link hesitated a moment more, then the knife fell back to his side. He stared at her for a moment, not seeming to know what to say, then shoved his knife back into his belt. He bent down, and for the first time Zelda realized the bodies of two large rabbits lay at their feet. Link grabbed them by a string tying their feet together, then said, "Well. I guess you'd better come in, then. I wasn't planning for two tonight, but we'll make do."

The cabin was snug, but seemed to have everything Link needed to be comfortable. Almost everything was made of wood and stone—the little table, the single chair, the bed with an old, faded blanket. The metal pots and pans hanging from the ceiling amidst drying bunches of herbs had to have been procured from the nearby town, and she could spy a few sacks of flour and other goods he would have had to trade for as well. But most of his belongings seemed to have been made by hand.

Zelda wandered over to the little mantelpiece over the slightly crooked fireplace, where a small fire crackled. Little wooden carvings crowded the space—figurines of birds, animals, even a few people. Zelda reached out and touched a two-inch-tall carving of a girl with a dress that bore the symbol of a Triforce. The amount of detail was amazing; it was obvious that Link had spent hours whittling away at this little figurine, pouring into it all the details he could remember of the short time they had spent together as children. It warmed her heart to know that he had been thinking of her all this time as well.

"You can keep it if you want," Link said brusquely.

She looked over her shoulder and found him sitting at the table, pulling out his knife and setting about skinning the rabbits. Over the years, she had grown less squeamish about such things, but she turned away to look at the figurine again. "It's beautiful," she breathed. "I...thank you. I will treasure it always." She wrapped her fingers around the rough wood and tucked it safely away in an inside pocket.

Since Link had taken the only chair in the house, Zelda decided not to worry about propriety and sat down on his bed. It sagged in the middle. "Link...I'm so glad I found you. I've missed you these past seven years."

Link glanced up from his work, fingers bloody, and met her gaze briefly. Then he dropped his eyes back to the rabbits again and muttered, "Missed you too."

Zelda hesitated. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so many important things they needed to discuss...but for now, she was just happy that she could see him again. That he was real, and alive, no matter how much he'd changed.

She stood again. "Can...Can I help you with something?"

He hesitated, as if he'd forgotten that anyone other than him could make the preparations he usually did alone. But finally, he said, "Bucket over there. You can draw water from the stream."

Zelda smiled and hurried to do as he said.

They didn't say much until the meal—such as it was—was over and the dishes washed and put away. Zelda had grown used to simple fare during her time on the run, so she didn't mind the coarse bread or tough rabbit meat Link offered her. But finally, as Link drew his chair closer to the fire and took out the materials to begin crafting new arrows, Zelda knew the time had come to begin the argument she'd been drafting the entire journey here.

"We both know why I've come," she said quietly, smoothing down the blanket she sat on.

Link grunted, slicing the bark off a twig with unnecessary vigor. "You're trying to drag me back in. For someone who's supposed to be as wise as you, I would have thought you'd be able to read the signs better."

"Signs?"

Link's eyes glittered in the firelight. "The signs that someone wants to be left alone."

The coldness of his tone seemed to seep into Zelda's bones, but she set her teeth against it and didn't look down. "I'm afraid we don't have that luxury anymore, Link. Hyrule needs you."

"Oh, they need me _now,_ do they?" Link growled, resuming his work. "I don't recall Hyrule clamoring for me seven years ago when I was 'too young to bear the burden.'"

"You are a man now," Zelda said reasonably. "We could hardly expect a child to face Ganondorf in all his—"

"Except you did." Link wasn't even pretending to work anymore, the knife and piece of wood dangling from his fingers as he glared openly at her. "A mere unworthy _child_ gathered up all three Spiritual Stones and brought them to you, under _your orders,_ and I didn't hear a word of complaint from _you_ when you dragged me away from my home to save the world."

Zelda held up a placating hand. "I was a child myself then, Link. If I had known then what I know now—"

"You would have done no different," Link spat. "You would still have used me to do your dirty work, then thrown me aside when I wasn't useful anymore."

Her hands curled into fists. "That's not the way it happened, and you know it. You weren't strong enough to wield the full power of the Triforce then, so the wisest course of action was to wait. To let Ganondorf think he'd won, and disappear into the shadows until we could marshal our strength."

With a snort of derisive laughter, Link cut a notch in the stick he held. "Did you seriously think you could just march back in here and order me around again? That, after seven years of completely ignoring me, I'd just leap up and be your little hero again? I rejected that life seven years ago, Zelda. I want no part of it."

The hardness of his tone hurt almost as much as his words. "You don't know what Ganondorf has done to Hyrule these past years," she pleaded. "The people are suffering, Link. Dying. Every able-bodied man is conscripted into his army. Any who resist are turned into his undead servants. There is no freedom in this land anymore. No one sleeps safely in their beds, no one dares to walk alone even in daylight. Fear has shrouded the land, and there is so little I can do on my own..."

The loneliness of her life in the shadows closed around her like iron shackles. Hiding her true identity, always fearing to grow too close to anyone lest they discover who she was, or even that she was not the man she pretended to be... It was exhausting, and so disheartening when all she saw around her were more signs of Ganondorf's dominion spreading across the land.

Link snorted as if he found this hilarious, but the twig snapped in his shaking hands. He threw the useless stick into the fire and turned a bitter smile to her. "'On your own'? What do _you_ know of being alone? You've never truly known loneliness, not with Impa at your side."

Zelda met his dark blue eyes, and it was if she truly saw him for the first time. He had been different from the other Kokiri, hadn't he? He had told her once about how the Kokiri had teased him for not having a guardian fairy all those years. Then, even after Navi had come into his life, he'd been sent on a quest to save the world all on his own. Zelda had always preferred solitude herself, but now she wondered what the past seven years had been like for him, without a single companion except for his brief forays into town.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, dropping her eyes to the floor. "I...I know you've had it hard. But...we all have, since...since that day. I just came to ask you...to relieve some of that suffering."

Gathering up the scraps of bark that had dropped to the ground around his feet, Link muttered, "Why is it always _my_ responsibility to solve the world's problems? I'm tired of doing everything myself. Hyrule can just fend for itself for once."

"Hyrule _has_ been fending for itself," Zelda pointed out firmly. "For the past seven years, Hyrule has tried to hold back the darkness without their champion. Without their hero."

Link tossed the scraps into the fire. The shadows caught in the creases of his face, making him look much older than his seventeen years. "And why would I want to be Hyrule's hero anymore?"

Taking a deep breath, Zelda said, "Because it's what Navi would have wanted."

In an instant, Link was on his feet. "Navi is _dead!_ " he bellowed, swinging his left hand through the air and driving the blade of his knife deep into the mantelpiece. The meticulous carving of a horse wobbled and fell over with a clatter. "And don't you _dare_ presume to tell me what she would have wanted!"

Silence fell over the little cabin. Zelda didn't know what to say to that. There was nothing _to_ say, was there? Of all the arguments she had prepared to convince Link to take up the sword again, none of them could refute the simple truth that Navi had perished when they had tried to stop Ganondorf before. Could she really fault Link for his reluctance to return to that life, without his closest companion?

Though she hadn't spent much time talking to Navi, every time Zelda had seen Link, his blue fairy had been hovering over his head or sitting on his shoulder, chiming in with her cheerful little voice. Now she wished she had taken the time to get to know her better, but at the time she had focused on Link as the one who was actually destined to be the hero of legend.

Maybe she was the key to everything after all.

Slowly, Zelda rose, though she kept her eyes downcast. She couldn't meet the righteous fury in his eyes. "You're right," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't know her very well. But...you _are_ Hyrule's last hope, Link. More people die every day, and...I know this is too much to ask of you. Hyrule has already asked too much of you." She sighed, her carefully chosen words falling to pieces behind her lips. "Just...think about it. Please? Think of...what she died for."

She dared to raise her eyes again, in time to see the hardness in Link's eyes shatter before he quickly turned his back. She couldn't decide if the pain in his eyes should be a cause of hope or regret.

When Link made no response, Zelda said, "I will be at the Temple of Time at sunrise, every day that I can manage it. I...hope to see you there."

Link stood still, so Zelda slipped out without a goodbye. As she left his little cabin behind and made her way down the mountain in the gathering darkness, she wondered if she had accomplished her goal or not. Maybe she'd only made him more determined than ever to shun the rest of the world.

But if he _did_ turn up at the Temple of Time, she knew that it would be because of Navi.


	61. Fairy Tale

**Author's Note: I was excited to continue this awful angsty AU where Navi loses her magic, and this theme seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. I didn't really care too much about keeping to the tone or structure of a fairy tale, but did want to play around with the sort of double meaning here.**

 **Timeline: Adult; after "Kick in the Head"**

 **Theme 61: Fairy tale**

Once upon a time, there was a fairy.

Fairies are beautiful, magical creatures full of mystical power. Their wings shimmer like a rainbow trapped in a dew-encrusted spiderweb, carrying them up into the sky to soar like the birds of the air. Their bodies glow with all the strength and vitality of the magic that flows within them. Just as blood flows within a human body, giving it life and strength, so magic infuses the fairies, lifting them up and sending them aloft, to dance under sunlight and starlight.

The forests and the rivers are filled with fairies. Every fairy is born from a fountain, emerging from the water and bursting into life as suddenly as a bubble pops in t he air. The fairies are guardians of the places they dwell. They protect the forests, the lakes, the streams, the valleys. Everywhere there is life, there are fairies to defend it. Not with sword or spear, no—they protect life by embodying life itself. They carry the vitality of the world within them.

The fairies of Kokiri Forest hold a particularly important place in the web that holds Hyrule in harmony. Not only do they defend the many forms of life under the verdant boughs, they are also charged with guarding the little ones who spend their eternal childhoods in the forest. As if to protect the very avatars of innocence, the fairies of Kokiri Forest are given this great task.

Not every fairy is entrusted with the task of protecting a Kokiri child. Those that are given such a burden, such a blessing...they are the ones who have been deemed worthy. The Great Deku Tree, wisest of all living beings within the heart of the forest, selects each guardian fairy carefully, knowing that it is a partnership for life. And the lives of perpetual children are long indeed.

To be sure, fairies have failed in this most important task before. Some Kokiri have met their end, when they have not heeded their fairy's warning, or when the fairy has failed to give one. But such fairies meet their end with the one they guard. No fairy has ever abandoned their charge to flee back to the shelter of the forest. Even if they survive their child's doom, they know they would find no welcome there.

But what is a fairy to do when the one they were charged to guard is not a Kokiri? What if a fairy fails, but the one they guard is still alive and well? How can a fairy still be a fairy when all beauty, all life, all magic, has been sucked away?

There is no good ending to this tale. There is no "happily ever after." There was a beginning, but there will be no end. Only a fading away into obscurity.

* * *

"Navi?"

Slowly, sluggishly, Navi lifted her head and found Link bending over her, a familiar expression of concern plastered over his face. She had a feeling he'd been calling her name for some time before she'd noticed.

It was hard to focus on her surroundings since she'd lost her magic. Somehow, things seemed much less _real_ now that she didn't feel that power thrumming through her every moment. Even when she had been badly hurt before, or had expended too much power in one go, there had still been _some_ magic running through her. Not this...dead emptiness.

"Don't worry about me," Navi said faintly, letting her head drop back to the carpet of dead leaves beneath her. She went back to staring up at the branches waving high above her. If Link had thought keeping her in the Sacred Forest Meadow would soothe her with its familiarity, he'd been wrong. It only served to remind her of what she'd lost.

Even summoning the energy to say a few words seemed to take much more effort than it ever had before. If it was this exhausting for Link to talk, she thought she understood why he was always so taciturn. "Don't linger any longer than you have to," she slowly continued. "You've got a quest to finish."

"I can't finish it without you."

At another time, she might have felt surprised or irritated, but now she just didn't have the energy to yell. Not that she could have darted up into his face to make sure he'd pay attention to her. Instead, she merely shook her head and said, "I don't have magic anymore, Link. I'm useless to you."

Link shook his head stubbornly. She should have realized he'd refuse to see reason. He sprawled on his stomach on the ground next to her, though he still towered over her as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Who will tell me when I'm being stupid?" he demanded. "Who will point out the obvious to me? Who will remind me of all the things I shouldn't have forgotten? Who will come up with ideas I could never think of? Who will spend every waking moment watching my back?"

He leaned in closer, till all she could see was his deep blue eyes, and she could feel his breath breezing over her. "Who in the whole world besides you, Navi, will never _ever_ leave me alone again?"

Tears welled up in Navi's eyes. It was still a new and almost frightening sensation—the pinpricks of pain in her eyes, followed by moisture running down her cheeks. For some reason, losing her magic had made her almost...mortal. The implications were terrifying, but there was nothing she could do about it, so she preferred not to think about it.

The warmth of Link's gaze, the earnest concern in the way he watched her, squeezed around Navi's heart painfully. "You don't want me," she whispered with a shake of her head. Not her, not this broken thing with no power and nothing to offer. Not this abomination who would be better off dead. Not this leaden weight who could only ever be a liability on his quest. "You _can't_ want me."

But the way he looked at her made it clear that he wasn't just being stubborn or pig-headed. He wasn't doing this for the principle of the matter, just because they'd been friends for so long. He looked at her, he saw her brokenness, and he smiled gently at the nothing she had to offer.

"I _do_ want you, Navi. Now and forever."


	62. Magic

**Author's Note: Here you go at last, some answers for the Harry Potter AU! In all of these installments, I have lots of fun deciding what Harry Potter characters should be swapped out for which Zelda characters. Though it was a little awkward when I realized Zelda characters don't have last names XD I hope how all of this unfolds is a plausible explanation for how these two would become friends in this world.**

 **Timeline: Harry Potter crossover AU (part 1 of 7)**

 **Theme 62: Magic**

Link slid onto the worn seat in the corner of the last compartment on the Hogwarts Express. All the other compartments were full already, and more students were milling about on the platform, saying goodbye to their families and loading their trunks onto the train. Mothers tearfully hugged and kissed their children, fathers hoisted the heavy trunks in strong arms, and younger siblings waved as eager children of all shapes and sizes piled eagerly onto the train.

No one was there to see Link off, of course. The orphanage he'd come from was full of Muggles, so no one could know where he would receive his secondary education. When Headmaster Rauru had come to tell him he'd been slated for Hogwarts practically from birth, he'd had to pretend Link had won a scholarship at a respectable boarding school the superintendent had pretended to know all about.

Link told himself he didn't mind. It wasn't like he'd ever known his parents, so he didn't know what he was missing. He'd always managed on his own, one way or another. And the only thing he thought he would miss about the orphanage was Saria, the one person he'd truly been able to call a friend. She'd cried when Link lugged his trunk out to the taxi, begging him not to forget her.

But he didn't want to think about Saria. With a sigh, Link sat back so he wouldn't have to watch more families saying goodbye. Just as he was staring at the clouds of steam out the window and wondering how long the train ride would be, the door to the compartment slid open.

"Hey!" someone said brightly.

Link looked up just in time to see a girl about his age plop onto the seat across from him, already wearing her black Hogwarts robes. Her hair was light, almost white, except for a strand that kept falling in her eyes, which was dyed a bright blue. The girl tucked this strand behind one ear and grinned cheerfully at him. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, not seeming to notice that she was already sitting there. "Everywhere else is full, and I don't know anybody yet."

"You don't know me either," Link pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh!" Her eyes, as bright blue as the strand of hair, flew open in surprise. But after only a moment's thought, she stuck out her hand. "Well, that's easily fixed. My name's Navi, what's yours?"

"Link."

He reached out to shake her hand, but she grabbed his hand with both of hers and shook it vigorously, grinning from ear to ear. "Perfect! Now we're friends, and it doesn't have to be awkward at all!"

A slow grin crossed his face. Normally, someone who was so forward would make him nervous; he wasn't like the other children at the orphanage, who all seemed to have learned some crucial lesson he hadn't about how to talk to other people. When he was younger, grownups used to assume he was mute, since he talked so little. But even though Navi was as boisterous and talkative as all the people who usually intimidated or annoyed him, Link found it impossible to dislike her.

Before he could think of the right thing to say in response, a whistle echoed around the platform and the train lurched forward. " _Oooooh,_ we're moving!" Navi gushed, climbing up onto her knees on the seat and pressing her nose against the glass. She waved to someone on the platform, presumably her parents, but Link couldn't distinguish them from the crowd.

Then, picking up speed with every second, the train slid down the tracks and out of the station. As they passed through London, Navi stayed plastered to the window and watched the buildings slip past, but once they reached the suburbs and the gaps between buildings grew larger, she dropped back into a normal position on her seat.

"So!" she said brightly, tucking her wayward blue strand of hair behind her ear again. "What house do _you_ want to be in?"

And there they were, back to the one thing Link wanted to think about the least. He sighed and looked down at his knees, picking at a loose thread in his jeans. "I'm going to be in Slytherin."

"Oh, don't say that!" Navi protested, frowning as if he'd just insulted himself. "There's no use giving up hope before—" She checked herself, cocking her head to one side. "Oh. You mean you _want_ to be in Slytherin?"

Link shook his head glumly. "But I'm going to be in Slytherin anyway."

Navi looked thoughtful. "Sorry—my parents are Muggles; I'm still learning a lot about magic. But...didn't I hear someone say the Sorting Hat takes your choices into consideration too?"

Link looked up and met her quizzical gaze. "Yes."

Navi looked even more puzzled. "You're _choosing_ to go into the house that all the _bad guys_ come from?"

"They can't _all_ be bad guys in Slytherin," Link said defensively. "Er...can they?"

"I suppose not," Navi said thoughtfully. "But why are you so determined to go to Slytherin? Gryffindor sounds the best to _me._ "

Privately, Link agreed with her. When Rauru had explained the houses to him, his heart had yearned for the bravery of Gryffindor, or the friendliness of Hufflepuff. Even studious Ravenclaw would be preferable to what sounded like a house full of scheming, conniving backstabbers.

But...he couldn't tell Navi why he needed to go to Slytherin. Not the whole truth. Rauru had sworn him to secrecy, but only now was he realizing how difficult that would be. He'd never had to keep a secret this important before.

Slowly, weighing every word carefully, Link said, "I...I think something bad's going to happen at Hogwarts this year. And it's going to come from Slytherin."

Navi quirked an eyebrow at him. "So why not just tell a teacher about it?" She looked a little skeptical, which he supposed was understandable considering what he'd just said, but at least she didn't look like she feared for his sanity. He'd take what he could get.

He looked into her vivid blue eyes, wanting to tell her everything. He'd been dying to confide in _someone_ ever since Rauru had shown up; it had taken all of his willpower this past week to keep from spilling the whole story to Saria. But Rauru had told him not to trust _anyone._ If he breathed a word of his true purpose at Hogwarts, of his investigation into the suspicious activity of the teachers and what he did to help Rauru protect the Philosopher's Stone, Ganondorf's minions might catch wind of it and thwart all of Rauru's well-laid plans.

So he dropped his eyes to his shoes and said, "Sorry, Navi. I made a promise to someone...but...I shouldn't tell."

Navi pouted a little, but after gazing at Link for a moment, she sat back with a huff. "Well, all right then. Keeping promises is important." Then she brightened. "But we'll still be friends anyway, no matter _what_ houses we end up in! _That's_ a promise!"

Link smiled weakly and hoped she wouldn't regret her words.

* * *

When Professor Impa called his name, Link walked with shaking knees to the stool, sat down, and pulled the Hat on. It slipped down over his ears, so he couldn't see anything but the blackness inside the Hat. A soft voice that made Link think of cloth and dust spoke in his ear.

 _Hmmm, now here's a brave lad. I haven't seen_ this _amount of bravery in a long, long time. You'd make an excellent Gryffindor... Ah, but there's also such kindness. You want to help everyone around you, don't you? You'd sacrifice yourself for a complete stranger, wouldn't you? Yes, yes, Hufflepuff would do very nicely for you as well..._

With a little sigh of resignation, Link thought back, _I want you to put me in Slytherin._

 _Slytherin?_ the Hat sounded as shocked as a hat could be. _Slytherin? Now, that's one house I_ can't _see you thriving in. No, I really think you'd do better in—_

 _Put me in Slytherin,_ Link replied with more determination. He'd given his word, and he would keep it, even if it meant consigning himself to seven unbearable years. But then...even if everyone in Slytherin was selfish and too ambitious to care about anyone else, they were still _people,_ weren't they? If Ganondorf got his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, the Slytherins would suffer too.

 _A Hufflepuff thought if I ever heard one,_ the Hat said to him. _Ah well, but if you insist..._ "SLYTHERIN!" it roared aloud, for the whole Hall to hear.

Link pulled the Hat off, dropped it back on the stool, and headed over to the table against one wall, where students clapped politely. There was an empty bench close to the High Table, and Link quickly sat down so people would stop looking at him. When he looked back up at the row of first-years waiting to be Sorted, he found Navi watching him with a little frown. He quickly looked back at the empty golden plate in front of him, feeling slightly ashamed of himself even though he knew he'd done the right thing.

It didn't take long for Professor Impa to work through the names between his and Navi's. Link didn't pay much attention, except when a boy named Mido got Sorted into Slytherin almost as soon as the Hat touched his head. Mido strutted over to the Slytherin table, sat down across from Link, and tried to engage him in conversation about his family, who had apparently been Slytherins since the Middle Ages.

But it was Navi's turn next, and Link wasn't paying attention to Mido. Navi perched on the stool, pulled on the Hat, and sat there for a few minutes. Link found himself wondering what it was saying to her. Telling her how good she would do in Gryffindor, standing up for the weak and speaking her mind. He hoped she would at least still speak to him sometimes.

"SLYTHERIN!"

It took Link a moment to realize what he'd just heard. Navi hopped off the stool, looking thoroughly pleased with herself, and skipped over to the Slytherin table. She plopped herself down next to Link and smiled brilliantly up at him.

"But...I thought you wanted to be in Gryffindor!" Link gasped. He knew his mouth was gaping stupidly, but he couldn't close it.

"I did," Navi said cheerfully, clapping as another boy joined the Slytherin table. "But you know what? It's gonna be a _lot_ easier to be your friend if we're in the same house!" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Plus, I'm _dying_ to know your secret. Don't worry—you don't have to tell me!" she added hastily. "But I'm going to find out one way or another, mark my words!"

He just stared at her cheeky grin for a moment or two, stunned that she would join the house she'd claimed was full of 'bad guys' for such a simple reason. But as he looked at her winsome smile, his heart lifted a little. Maybe the next seven years wouldn't be so bad after all.


	63. Do Not Disturb

**Author's Note: This prompt stumped me for a while, until I decided to explore a scenario I've been wanting to play around with. I can't remember what the fic was called or who wrote it, but years ago I read a fic where there was a Link in a modern-day setting who got thrust into an adventure. It was so refreshing and interesting to see familiar characters in such a different setting that I wanted to try my hand at it too.**

 **Timeline: Child; modern-day AU**

 **Theme 63: Do not disturb**

Normally, Link dragged his feet on his way home from school. He would double back, take detours through the wooded areas behind the neat houses lining the suburban streets, spend an extra half-hour poking around in the mud or climbing a tree. He would try to take a different route every day, till he'd mapped out in his head every possible way he could walk home. His mother usually didn't get home from work till 6:30, so as long as he made it back before her, it didn't matter how much he dilly-dallied on the way.

But today, he left school through the main doors along with everyone else, and followed the crowds of children making their way to school buses and cars waiting for them. He broke away from the main crowd, joining the small number who lived close enough to walk home.

Link automatically stayed a few paces behind the nearest gaggle of girls, who were all jabbering away about some celebrity he'd never heard of. He wasn't really listening, his mind fixed on the precious cargo he carried in his backpack alongside the math textbook and half-eaten peanut butter sandwich. For once, there was something worth rushing home for. Something more than the endless reams of homework, cartoon reruns on TV, and the stack of library books he'd already read.

All he wanted was to get home as quickly as he could, grab some milk and cookies, and run upstairs to his room where he could hang the _Do Not Disturb_ sign on his door and not emerge till his mother called him down for dinner. Then he would be able to pull out the jar in his backpack and look at the weird bug he'd found while hiding behind the school building at recess.

For the first time in living memory, he was dying to scour the nonfiction section of the library, to see if he could find any books on phosphorescent insects. Maybe there was a book on fireflies that glowed blue instead of yellow. Unfortunately, library day wasn't until Saturday, when his mother would finally have time to take him.

Link's mind was so full of possible avenues of research that he didn't notice his pace was slackening, and the crowd of girls were getting farther and farther in front of him. It wasn't until he heard a sneering voice calling his name that he remembered exactly _why_ he usually took such a roundabout route home.

"Well, well, if it isn't the _dummy!_ "

Link's grip tightened on the straps of his backpack, but he didn't turn around, and didn't slow down until someone stepped right in front of him on the sidewalk. Link halted, facing his least-favorite person in the world. Mido was an inch or two shorter than Link, but all of his buddies, who circled around Link to cut off his escape, stood head-and-shoulders taller than both of them.

"What's the hurry, Link-o?" Mido jeered. "Running home to mommy, are ya? Don't wanna stick around and play a little?"

Everything about Mido, from his grating voice to the freckles scattered across his cheeks, was distasteful to Link on a good day. But now, when he was only trying to get home quickly and mind his own business, Link had even less patience than usual. Frowning, his gaze dropped to the ground as he tried to think of a way out.

"Hey, I'm talkin' to ya, Linkie!" Mido snapped. "What, are you deaf too now?"

"Yeah," one of his cronies laughed, grabbing Link's shoulder in a grip too tight to be friendly. "C'mon, Link, _say_ something!"

Link whipped around with a glare, jerking his shoulder away. But this only made the others laugh and shove him from another direction. Link whirled around again, knocking aside another hand poking at him.

"Oh, are we making you _angry,_ little Link?" Mido cackled. "Why didn't you _say_ so? If you don't like it, you should just tell us to stop!"

That comment elicited a chorus of laughter on all sides. Gritting his teeth, Link tried to make a break for it between two of the boys, but they easily grabbed him and shoved him back into the center of the circle.

"Hey," someone suggested, "think he's got any candy bars?"

"Or maybe some lunch money!"

"Yeah, cough up, Linkie! Show us the goods!"

Link shook his head and told them he didn't have anything, but they simply ignored his moving fingers and grabbed his backpack anyway. He snatched at it, but the tallest boy of them all held it out of Link's reach. Then he tossed it to a boy on the other side of the circle.

As the bag sailed through the air, all Link could think of was the little blue bug in the jar. What if they dropped the backpack and the jar broke? What if the bug escaped, or smushed under a textbook? He'd never be able to find out what it was then. And worse—if this rare creature died, it would be all his fault for capturing it and leading it to its death.

Desperately, Link lunged for his backpack again, but the boy who caught it immediately tossed it to someone else, and everyone laughed as they played catch. Link was too short and too slow to stop them. If only he was bigger. If only he was a grown-up, with a sword like the heroes he read about in the books. Then no one would ever _dare_ to pick on him like this...

Finally, Mido caught the backpack. Link charged towards him, knowing he could at least take on _Mido,_ but before he could take a single step, rough hands grabbed at his arms and the back of his shirt. He struggled against their grip, but they just laughed and held on tighter. He couldn't move. Their nails were digging into the skin of his arms, and the boy holding onto his shirt had pulled it so tight it was choking him.

"Okay, boys, let's see what our pal has for us in here," Mido said smugly. He unzipped the bag and started tossing items out of it. Link's fingers worked frantically, trying to tell them all to stop, but he doubted they would have been able to understand him, even if they knew sign language and were paying attention.

Books fell to the pavement, some landing page-first and crumpling on the ground. Link's pencil case soon followed. Mido opened his lunchbox to see if there was anything worth stealing in there, but quickly tossed it to the sidewalk in disgust. Link flinched as the metal lunchbox crashed to the ground, one of the hinges breaking off. His mother would kill him for ruining another one.

"Hey, what's this?" Mido suddenly said as he rummaged deeper in the bag.

Blue light blazed out of the backpack. Mido dropped it in shock as the big, heavy jar zoomed into the air and smashed against his face. He fell over backward, gaping in shock as the glowing blue jar hovered in midair before him. The other boys froze, staring at it as stupidly as he did. Link felt their grip slackening on him, and tried to twist his shoulders out of their grip. But his movement seemed to remind them of his presence, and they held him tighter than ever.

"You boys oughta be ashamed of yourselves!" said a voice.

Everyone looked around wildly to see who was talking. Most of the boys looked over their shoulders, as if looking for a grown-up scolding them. But the voice was slightly muffled, and it came from right in front of them. Link stared at the glowing, hovering jar, and realized it had come from the bug. The bug was _talking._

"Why can't you pick on someone your own size, huh?" It demanded. The voice was high-pitched, exactly what Link would have imagined a bug would sound like, if he'd ever thought bugs could talk. It was hard to tell, but he was also pretty sure it was a girl voice.

"You listen to me, now!" she said sternly. Link could almost imagine a feisty little girl standing with her legs planted firmly, hands on hips. "Let him go, or you'll get what's coming to you!"

But the bullies still seemed to be struggling with the concept of where the voice was coming from. They stood there stupidly, looking at one another as if hoping someone would tell them what to do.

"Fine then—you asked for it!"

The jar flew straight at the biggest boy's face, clunking against his cheek. With a yelp, he let go of Link and staggered back, holding a hand to his face. The jar knocked against another boy's head, smacked against someone's hand, and barreled into the fattest stomach it could find. One by one, the small creature beat off every one of Link's assailants, till he stood free on the sidewalk.

"Who's next?" the little, muffled voice squeaked.

Eyes wide, the bullies scuttled away, running as fast as they could up the street.

"Hey!" Mido yelled, scrambling to his feet. His nose was bleeding, but he shook his fist at his retreating friends. "Get back here, you cowards!"

"Speaking of cowards," the glowing creature said grimly, charging towards Mido.

With a shriek of terror, Mido turned on his heel and ran up the street. The jar managed to land squarely on his rear, making him squeal and run even faster. Once he skidded around the corner and out of sight, the glowing jar hovered in front of Link.

Link flinched a little, hoping it wouldn't smash into him next. Instead, the muffled voice just said impatiently, "Well, are you going to get me out of this thing or what? One good turn deserves another."

Link hastily apologized, then wondered if a glowing bug would be able to understand sign language. Even if it _was_ a talking bug. In any case, he gingerly took the jar in his hands and unscrewed the lid. As soon as it was off, the glowing bug zipped into the air. Instead of flying off like most bugs would after being freed, this one kept hovering in front of him.

"Phew!" she said, her voice louder and clearer now that she was out in the open. "You didn't put enough breathing holes in the lid, you know—I thought I was going to suffocate."

He screwed the lid back on and apologized again.

"Why do you keep doing that?" the bug said curiously.

He started to explain, then frowned in frustration. Finally, he tapped his throat and shook his head.

"Oh..." The bug fluttered closer, filling his sight with her bluish glow. "You can't speak?"

At such close proximity, he realized that this wasn't some weird talking firefly at all. In the middle of the blinding blue light she emitted, he could see the vague form of a tiny person—a little human shape with wings like a butterfly, glowing like a tiny star.

A fairy?

There was so much he wanted to ask her. Where had she come from? Why had she helped him? Why hadn't she said anything when he'd first trapped her in the jar? Was she like the fairies in the stories, who could grant wishes?

But he couldn't speak in any way she could understand, so he couldn't ask. Frustrated, Link grabbed his backpack and started gathering up his belongings scattered across the sidewalk.

"Here, let me help!" the fairy cried. She darted around, grabbing the smaller items and dragging them over to him with a surprising amount of strength for someone so tiny.

Once everything was back inside the bag, Link hefted it over one shoulder. He lifted a hand to sign a question to her, then stopped himself. Lifting his eyebrows inquisitively, he beckoned her to follow him and took a step away.

He half expected her to fly off on her own, but instead she obligingly fluttered over his shoulder as he started down the street again. "Guess I better make sure you get home okay," the fairy said cheerfully. "Wouldn't want those bullies to come back again, huh?"

Link smiled up at her. There were so many things he didn't know about her, and so many questions he still needed to ask. But one thing he knew already: He had just made a friend.


	64. Multitasking

**Author's Note: There were a lot of potential scenes I thought about doing for the Goblet of Fire portion of the HP AU. So much happens in that book, and there are so many new characters that I could potentially bring in Zelda characters for funny overlaps. But I kept on coming back to the problem of how to focus on Link and Navi. Then I thought about how much help Hermione and Ron were to Harry in the Triwizard Tournament, pitching in to help him research and practice. Without their help, Harry would have had little chance of keeping up with the other contestants. And I think Navi would play a similar role for Link in this scenario.**

 **Timeline: Harry Potter crossover AU (part 4 of 7)**

 **Theme 64: Multitasking**

Link sighed, turning off the last of the taps and looking down at the swimming-pool-sized bathtub, which was now full of thick steam and mountains of bubbles. Sure, this was a nice bathroom and everything—the fanciest bathroom Link had ever seen—but he still wasn't sure what the point of all this was. How was taking the golden egg into the bathroom in the middle of the night going to be any different than opening it in the Slytherin common room and annoying everyone with the deafening screeching noise?

How did he know that he could trust Pipit, anyway? Maybe Pipit was just pulling his leg, or trying to get him in trouble. Maybe he was misleading Link, trying to hinder him figuring out the egg's clue and get an upper hand. Pipit wanted to win the Triwizard Tournament, after all. Of course he would do anything to be the one winning glory for Hogwarts.

With another sigh, Link shook his head roughly. What was his problem? What did he care who won this stupid tournament? Sure, it would be nice if Hogwarts won, but he needed to focus on staying alive and investigating the mysterious circumstances that had landed him in this position in the first place. This year was all about multitasking; he couldn't let his mind dwell exclusively on one problem anymore.

Besides, Pipit seemed like a genuinely friendly person. He didn't have to give Link any hints at all, not when Hufflepuff and Slytherin were always at such odds. Pipit just liked to play fair, that was all. If Link had been put in Hufflepuff as the Sorting Hat had wanted, the two of them would probably have gotten along pretty well, despite the age gap.

So Link nodded to himself, pulled off his pajamas, and slid into the bath. For a moment, the warm embrace of the water and the delicate mix of perfumes curling through the steam drowned all thoughts of the egg. Smiling, he closed his eyes and ducked under the surface of the water, then burst back into the air, brushing his long golden hair back out of his eyes.

But then he noticed the candlelight glistening on the sides of the golden egg, and remembered why he was in this amazing bathroom in the first place. Link waded to the edge of the bathtub and picked up the egg, which sat on his towel beside the tub.

When he opened the egg, the banshee-like screeches echoed deafeningly around the tiled walls and floor of the bathroom, just like in the common room. Link hastily shut the egg again, suddenly remembering it was the middle of the night. This bathroom probably wasn't soundproof, and while it might not be illegal to use the bathroom in the middle of the night...well, a fourth-year taking a bath in the password-protected Prefects' bathroom would definitely get him in trouble.

Still, he couldn't leave until he'd figured out what Pipit's clue meant. Link frowned at the golden egg, which sat stubbornly in his hand, looking the same as ever.

"Maybe you're supposed to open it underwater."

With a giant _sploosh,_ Link dropped the egg into the water and sloshed a wave of water and bubbles across the bathroom floor. He whirled around as fast as the water would let him, only to find Navi leaning against a marble pillar as if she'd been there the whole time.

"Navi!" he spluttered, spitting out the bitter soap suds he'd swallowed in his surprise. "When did— How long have you been here?"

"From the beginning," Navi said with a cheeky smile, pretending to examine the chipped blue polish on her nails. "You can be remarkably blind to your surroundings when you're focused on something. And after all these years, I know exactly how to follow you even when you're under that Invisibility Cloak."

"But..." Link scooped armfuls of bubbles closer to him, desperately hoping he was concealed enough. "But I'm not...wearing anything!"

Navi rolled her eyes. "Oh, _please._ I closed my eyes when you got in."

Link's cheeks burned hotter than the bathwater. "Why didn't you _say_ something?"

"Because you weren't telling me anything about your plans to figure out the egg clue!" Navi snapped. "As if you could hope to figure anything out on your own."

Stung, Link said, "We're _supposed_ to figure out the clues on our own. If we get outside help, we're disqualified!"

Navi snorted and rolled her eyes again. "You can't tell me the others aren't getting just as much help—if not _more—_ from their Headmasters. Well, if Professor Rauru isn't going to give you hints even though you're only fourteen, at least _someone_ can help you think it through!"

"I'm not an idiot, Navi. Why can't you ever let me figure things out on my own?"

"Link." Navi shuffled up to the edge of the tub and knelt down, ignoring the puddle of soapy water soaking into her nightgown. All levity and mockery were gone from her expression now, leaving her big blue eyes full of worry. "This isn't just a game. Rauru's right. Someone wants you dead, and they're going to succeed if you aren't careful. The dragons were hard enough, but that was just the _first_ task. I hate to think what's next...but it'll come, whether we want it to or not. So let me help you, Link. Please."

It was impossible to hold onto his anger for long when he looked into his best friend's earnest eyes. He easily remembered those eyes brimming with tears when she said goodbye to him before he faced Volvagia. "I'm sorry," he said, shoulders slumping under the surface of the water. "I know you're worried about me. And...And I _do_ need help. I'm just...tired of everyone assuming I'm going to fail, just because I'm younger than the other three."

Navi nodded sympathetically. "I know. You shouldn't even be in this competition at all." She frowned, her usual fire flaring up again. "Rauru should never have let this happen! How can he expect you to compete against witches and wizards three years older than you, who've all nearly completed their education? Why, I have half a mind—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Link said hastily. He'd heard the rant several times already, and needed to steer Navi's mind in a different direction before she made another plan to booby-trap the stairs to the Headmaster's office with Dungbombs or something. "You said open the egg underwater, right? What good will that do?"

Navi shrugged, switching gears easily. "I dunno. It just seems like the logical thing to do, if Pipit told you this bathroom would help figure out the clue. I mean, the only thing different in here is the water, right?"

Link nodded slowly. "Okay. Then I guess I'll be right back."

Pushing against the wall to give himself extra momentum, Link dove under the water, trying to disturb the protective screen of bubbles as little as possible. The water stung his eyes when he opened them, so he tried to move fast. The egg sat on the bottom of the tub near his feet. He grabbed it, his fingers fumbling on the slick catch, and opened it.

The egg was as empty as ever, but instead of the infernal screeching he'd heard every time he'd opened it before, Link found himself surrounded with the most beautiful singing he'd ever heard. It was like listening to the ever-changing harmony of a fountain, or the tinkling of raindrops at the beginning of a storm.

 _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground,_

 _And while you're searching, ponder this:_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took,_

 _But past an hour—the prospect's black_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._

As the song drew to an end, Link closed the egg and let himself rise to the surface again. Navi sat waiting for him with an eager expression. "Well?" she demanded as soon as he sucked in a breath and wiped the wet hair out of his eyes. "What happened?"

"It's a song," he replied thoughtfully. "Out in the air, it sounds terrible, but under the water, it's a beautiful song... And it says that I'll have an hour to retrieve something important to me...and if I don't, it'll be gone forever..."

He didn't like the sound of this Task. Something told him they weren't just going to steal his lucky quill or his favorite hat. No, it would be something truly important to him...something he would do anything to retrieve...

Navi was frowning, staring into space and tapping her fingers on her knees, as if playing an invisible piano. "Hmm...tell me what the song said again?"

Link ducked under the water to open the egg again, then repeated the lines to Navi.

"'We cannot sing above the ground...'" Navi echoed thoughtfully. "I wonder...like the egg?"

Link looked at the heavy object in his hands. "You mean...the singers are like the egg...and they can only sing underwater? I'm going to...have to...look for this thing underwater?"

"The lake!" Navi said, snapping her fingers. "I bet the second Task's in the lake!"

He felt sick. Sure, he could swim, and he could hold his breath for a pretty long time. But no one could survive a whole _hour_ underwater, never mind swimming around and finding where these strange singers had hidden this precious thing of his. A slow-building cloud of terror closed around him like a suffocating fog, till he couldn't see any possible way out. "Navi...how will I...I won't be able to _breathe!_ "

He gulped down precious breaths now, filling his lungs with as much oxygen as they could hold while they still had a chance.

"Hey!" Navi barked, clapping her hands to get his attention. "Listen to me, Link! You're not going to drown, not if I can help it!"

In despair, Link set the egg on the edge of the tub and watched it roll away across the floor a few feet. "But how _can_ you help it? I...I don't know what to _do!_ I'm not prepared for this..."

"They wouldn't set a Task that was impossible," Navi said reasonably. "There must be a way to breathe underwater for an hour, like a spell or a potion or something. Magical creatures do it all the time—like mermaids or Grindylows or Zora. Maybe we can figure something out by studying them. That's probably what this is all about, you know, making sure we'd know how to survive underwater if necessary."

Link was sure of no such thing—he wouldn't put it past whoever had come up with these Tasks to just make it as difficult as possible out of spite. But he appreciated Navi taking the rational approach, as she so often did. It was always comforting to hear her lay out all of their options, especially when the burden of being the focal point of so much expectation gave him tunnel vision.

"Thanks, Navi," he said softly, interrupting her stream of ideas and suggestions. "I really did need your help. I couldn't figure this out on my own."

She beamed at him. "That's what I'm here for! Now come on, I'll turn away and you get out of that bath so we can sneak into the library tonight!"

Link grinned. "Sounds like a plan."


End file.
